A Rogue's Curse
by AznDangster
Summary: After Jean's death the mansion is in shambles. Rogue's powers are growing quickly and she's holding in a terrible secret. With the help, and love, of Scott, Rogue helps the mansion, and herself, move on. But, Jean is alive...and something is wrong. R
1. One Freakin Year

First of all, I own nothing of the x-men. Just a really big fan! This story takes place after X2 and eventually mixes in with X3 when Jean comes back. This is a Scott/Marie, Rogue/Cyclops pairing.

I can't see them as kids anymore. They're still teachers and students, but Rogue is more or less 18-21. Plus, I don't really know how to type out her accent so I eventually just let it fade as she stayed up north longer. Sorry if that ruins the story.

**Thanks to those of you who reminded me it's Ororo, not Oro. :3

**A Rouge's Curse**

It had been almost a year and the mansion was still in shambles. No one seemed able to function…no one seemed able to do anything but sit there and stare into space.

Jean had been…well, everything. Jean had been the best teacher, an original x-men, a friend, a mother-figure…a lover.

Scott walked through the mansion in a daze, more like a ghost then an actual person. Logan was gone every other month, and every time he came back his mood was foul and his temper was never quenched. The professor went through the movements, but it seemed even he couldn't shake the gloom that covered his senses. Ororo tried as best as she could, but every so often the skies were dark and rain seemed insistent. The kids were lost. Many of them didn't know the entire story, but the absence of Jean was overwhelming.

The only person that seemed strong enough to move on had been Rogue.

The Untouchable.

Her emotions were as toxic as her skin. No one realized how much she blamed herself for Jean's death…no one understood. Oh, they didn't come right out and blame her, but she saw it in their eyes. If she hadn't gotten the jet stuck then maybe…maybe things would've turned out different. Maybe Jean would've lived and Miss. Perfect would still be there. She felt resentment and she felt guilt. Even Logan, the man who promised to always be there, had avoided her like she was the plague. That hurt more than anything.

Almost a year and nothing had changed. Mutants graduated, many left, many stayed. Bobby, Kitty, Rogue and Piotr were still here, staying to be part of the infamous X-men. John was gone…no one seemed to care that he joined Magneto. No one but Rogue. He never looked at her like she was to blame. All she ever saw in his eyes was a tenderness. If she had noticed that when she was with Bobby, then maybe…

Pfft, Bobby.

In the course of that year Bobby had left and Kitty had taken him. Rogue didn't blame him. Most people wanted a girlfriend they could touch.

Danger room sessions were monotonous and all that seemed to matter was to figure out how to get over this glitch.

The loss.

The pain.

The Agony.

The Jean.

The roar of the motorcycle brought her head whipping around. Her white strands smacked her in the face as the wind blew, but her heart started hammering on its own accord. She shoved her red-brown hair away from her face before climbing away from the edge of the pond on campus. She saw him flying up the driveway on Profess…Scott's bike. She had to remember that. She wasn't a student anymore.

She was Rogue, an X-men.

Logan never wore a helmet. It wasn't that he didn't care for his health, but when your mutation was quick healing the rules of man didn't exactly apply. She stayed crouched, avoiding his line of vision. He stepped off and pulled a cigar out of his jacket, turned toward the mansion before lighting it. He began to walk towards the big double doors until he stopped and turned suddenly. His claws came out and Rogue stifled a gasp. She never got used to it, no matter how many times she had seen him do it.

"What do ya want, one-eyed?"

"Nice you see you're alive."

"Like you care?"

"you're right. What brought you back this time?"

"I missed your smiling face."

"I wished you'd take something seriously."

"I have news from up north." Logan said, his voice grave.

"You found something?"

Rogue noticed the hope in Scott's voice as he stepped closer. Logan turned away before answering. "I don't know."

"Don't you dare hold back on me, Logan, or-"

"What? You won't do anything, Cyclops. Don't forget, we both lost something important to us."

"Logan-"

"Run on back to the professor so I can finish my cigar." Logan replied roughly, before turning away from him, ending the conversation. She watched as Scott trumped off and only hoped she wasn't caught spying. The wind lifted her ponytail and played with it before setting it back down on her back. Logan had turned to begin walking once more and stopped suddenly. His nose lifted to the sky and he said one word, "Rogue."

Once upon a time he would've found her and asked her what was wrong. She always hid out near the lake when something was wrong. But now, all he did was turn around and continue walking into the mansion. She closed her eyes for a moment and laid back down by the edge of the lake.

One freakin' year.


	2. Surprise

She had a terrible secret. As far as secrets were rated, Rouge was sure this hit 10.

How could she tell anyone? How could she had ever had known…

She could've saved Jean. That was her secret.

Her hell.

No, her hell was the deep secret she kept inside her. The secret she couldn't tell anyone. Not ever. If they found out…they could never forgive her.

She would wake from sound-sleep with the scream trapped in her throat, her heart feeling as if it would break through her ribs. Most of the time she couldn't fall back asleep and instead stayed up. It rarely happened, but when it did, Rogue found herself in the kitchen, trying to eat or drown out the nightmare with warm milk.

That was how Scott found her one night.

Logan had been back for 2 weeks and the tension between him and Scott was palpable. Logan had nothing to report, only that Alkali Lake had flooded. There was nothing when they swept it. No humans. No trace of the mutant center. No Jean. Another dead end and more time wasted. No one was more dissatisfied then Scott and Logan. She heard one of the two either messing around in their room (the rooms in the mansion were connected and the room Scott had moved into was right next to hers while Logan's was on her other side. She had stopped sharing a room with Kitty after the…incident) or wandering the house.

It was…odd.

"Rogue?" She heard from the kitchen doorway and almost dropped her bowl of cereal as she spun around.

"Professor Summers?" she juggled the bowl and got it under control before she turned back to him.

"What're you doing down here?" he asked her, walking over to join her at the counter.

"Uh, I was…I just…couldn't sleep." She finished lamely. Scott let out a chuckle, although it was definitely strained, before he sat down on the stool next to her. She picked up her bowl and was about to leave before Scott stopped her. "Stay. I could use the company."

Well…

Out of all the people she had expected to hate her, Scott had been the top of her list. The last thing she thought he would ask of her was to keep him company. She slid back into the stool hesitantly, staring at Scott out of the corner of her eyes, before she spoke. "Professor Summers-"

"Scott." he said automatically. "Scott," She remedied before continuing, "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, kids get used to calling me Professor even after they had graduated."

She looked at him with her brows drawn before she realized what he meant. She hadn't been apologizing for using his name wrong. She had been apologizing for being the reason Jean was dead.

"Oh, uh-"

"Besides, I am not that much older then you." He said lightly, smiling at her.

She let out a laugh. "A good 8 years, Profess-erm, Scott." She fixed herself when he sent her a look.

She felt her heart stutter, missing a beat when she knew she had met his eyes.

Scott and Logan had to have been two of the most gorgeous men at the school. Logan had been with her and Scott has saved her. Was it any wonder that Jean had captivated them both?

But for Rogue…Scott had been in her dreams just as much as Logan had. It was pathetic, the teenage heart. She could admit that she was hero-worshiping Scott. He had saved her the first time Magneto had captured her. Risking his life to save her, a complete and utter stranger…

She shook her head.

He had been just following orders, that was it. She was a student to him, a kid.

She didn't hear the question he had asked and as a blush stained her cheeks.

"What?" She asked, hoping he took it as nonchalantly as she was trying to make it sound. He gave her another smile, but it was strange. Like, he just learned how to after a while.

"I said, 8 years…is that it?"

She let out a chuckle. "yeah, pretty sure."

Scott turned away from and continued to stare out the window.

"Uh, I'm going to-"

"Do you miss her, Rogue?"

_Shit._

"…Jean?" She asked, even though she knew that that was who he meant.

Scott nodded.

She waited a moment, forming her answering carefully.

"Sometimes."

"I know you didn't know her very well-" he began.

"I knew her enough. She was…nice to me."

"It's been a year and I thought…" He clenched his jaw and let a strained smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. It's just…it's been a year and I thought that it would get easier..."

"Hey." she whispered and put her gloved hand on top of his. After the Logan incident, she didn't take any more chances. She hadn't meant to, but the need to comfort was sudden and ferocious.

"If it was easy, then you didn't truly love her…right?" Scott nodded, his gaze locked on their hands.

She removed her hand quickly and mumbled "sorry" before she turned and walked right out of the kitchen. She didn't stop until she had reached her room, closed the door, and locked it for the night.

* * *

I know the chapter are really short, but I wanted to get the beginning done with before I delve into the characters anymore. Please review :3


	3. You're A Mutant

She hated her skin.

Most of the time she wished she could rip it off and start anew. Out of all the mutations she could've been born with, it had to be her skin.

She couldn't be telepathic, have mind control, bend metal or even change her body. No, she had to have toxic skin.

She turned her bare hand over as she stood in front of the mirror. What could happen if she was allowed to touch? To control her mutation? Could she love? She shook her head and slipped her gloves on. There were some things not worth mulling over.

She opened the door, rubbing sleep from her eyes, only to have them widen at the rush of students running past her. It took her a moment to get her bearings before she grabbed one and asked "Where's the fire?"

He gave her a startled look before answering. "There's a fight between two of the X-men!"

"What?" He tried to tug away from her, but Rogue maintained her grip. "Which two?"

"Cyclops and Wolverine!"

"shit" she muttered and let him go. It probably should've been obvious, right? Logan had already overstepped his boundaries multiple times and Scott could only take so much. Maybe they had fought last night before Rogue had spoken to Scott. He had seemed a bit tense and it would explain why he felt the need for company.

Even if it was from her.

She followed everybody out into the lawn where she heard grunts and the unmistakable sound of skin hitting skin. "Move. I said get out of the way. Hey!" Rogue yelled, shoving her way past the kids. She used to be one of them a year ago. How strange everything seemed to change in a year. "Everybody, get back into the mansion. Hey! I am serious! Move it or lose it people!" she got a couple of kids moving, but the majority of them ignored her as she made her way toward the center of the crowd. "Move! Touch my ass one more time and you'll regret breathing! Move it, guys!"

"Hey, it's Rogue! Move guys!" One of the kids yelled and she was shoved immediately into the middle of the circle. "Not exactly where I wanted to be." she muttered, but she finally got a good view of what was going on.

Talk about an unfair fight. Cyclops always kept his power at bay, being a teacher and all, but Logan had no such revisions. His healing ability was always something Rogue had admired, and something she had once taken advantage of, but now she wished he would curb it a bit. Scott looked like he had been through hell and back while Logan looked like he just gotten out of bed. Considering the fact that Rogue had just woken up herself and hadn't really bothered to look at the clock, it was probably the case. She could only catch snippets of what they were yelling at each other, but most of it was centered around Jean. Surprise there.

_Stop them, Rogue_, the Professor's voice reverberated through her head. She turned to see him watching the scene below from the window. She knew he could've easily stopped it himself, but she also knew how the Professor had felt about controlling people. Just cause he could, didn't mean he should.

She turned back around and let out a sigh. "How?" she whispered to herself. She didn't exactly have the most active power on the team and during danger room sessions she was basically useless. She was only good for one thing, and that was gaining information. How was she supposed to stop a fight?

"Hey! The Professor said stop!" she yelled, but it fell on deaf ears. "hey!" she yelled again, but was drowned out almost immediately. The kids around her were yelling and the word "fight" was repeated over and over again around her. She rubbed her temples, trying to fight the headache that was forming. She saw Piotr in the crowd and their gazes connected. She raised her eyebrows and jerked her head towards the mansion. He nodded and his load voice boomed. "Nothing to see! Get back in the mansion, guys!" he got most of the kids moving and the crowd thinned enough for Rogue to feel comfortable.

She hated crowds.

She smiled toward Piotr and tried again to get the attention of one of the men.

"Logan! That's enough!"

She stepped closer towards the men, and that was her first mistake. Her second was trusting the kids in the mansion enough to actually listen to her and Piotr. Most of them came running back and the crowd packed again. Someone shoved and Rogue lost her right glove.

"Piotr!" she yelled, and someone shoved again, and this time it sent her sprawling into the two men. She reached out to stop herself from falling, and her right hand came into contact with something.

No, wrong. _Someone._

She felt a sting behind her eyes and barely got them closed enough in time before her vision tinged with red.

"Rouge?" A gruff voice yelled, and somewhere deep in the back of her mind, she connected it with Logan. That was before she was bombarded with Scott and his memories.

She was flooded with Jean. Jean's face, her eyes, her mouth, her touch and her smell. Jean's smile…she shook her head, trying to let it fade from her mind. She hadn't absorbed anyone since the flood.

A year.

And she was rusty. She forget the pain. The ripping agony as another personality tried to take over.

She remembered someone screaming before she blacked out.

X

"It was childish. Someone could've gotten hurt."

"Blame one-eyed over there. He started it."

"I started it-"

"Enough!" the Professor's voice rang through the small hospital room. "I don't care who started it. You're fights aren't any of my concern, but when another person gets hurts because of it-"

"Professor, we didn't know she was there-"

"Logan, she had been standing there yelling at you guys for 5 minutes. You were too absorbed in your childish fight to notice she was trying to stop you-"

"Look, Professor, you're acting like we intentionally hurt her. Someone shoved and she came flying at us. I wouldn't hurt the kid. Not on purpose." The pain in Logan's voice had Rogue opening her eyes.

Only to shut them again when the felt the sting.

"Rogue?" Logan and Scott both asked.

"I can't open my eyes." She told them, squeezing her eyes closed so tight, it almost hurt.

"Scott." The professor started and she felt the cool press of sunglasses against the sides of her head. She opened them hesitantly, her world tinged in red, to see the Professor at the foot of her bed and Scott and Logan on either side.

She looked down at herself, saw the jeans and shirt she had been in when she left her room, and concluded that it was less than a couple of hours since she had touched Scott. The remaining presence of his powers and his lingering thoughts confirmed it.

And she knew a lot more about Scott then she needed to.

What confused her the most was the persistent memory of her hand on top of Scott's. He had been thinking about that…_a lot._ It made her uneasy in his presence. She wanted to ask why one moment seemed so important to him.

"How long?" she asked, instead.

"2 hours." One of them answered.

She let out a grunt and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She jumped off and staggered.

"Whoa." Scott said and grabbed for her. She almost reached for him until she noticed her gloves were gone. So, instead, she hit the edge of the bed and grabbed the metal bar. "I'm fine." she said automatically. Everyone in the room was looking at her. She looked at them in confusion. "What? This isn't the first time I've blacked out."

"From a simple touch?" The Professor asked.

"It happened all the time-"

"Yes, Rouge. As in past tense. How long has it been since you used your power?" The Professor asked, watching her with eyes that knew too much.

She swallowed and sat back on the bed. "A year."

"Who did you last touch?"

"I don't remember." She lied and hoped the Professor didn't press. And he didn't. Instead he let out a sigh and told her, "Rest up. Drink your fluids and no strenuous activity. Gentlemen." The Professor left and Rogue was stuck in the room with Logan and Scott.

Awkward.

"Are you guys gonna start fighting again?" She asked, glancing at both of them. Logan sent her a grin and said "Not while you're wearing Scott's shades and looking at me that way. Sorry, Kid-"

"Relax, Logan. It's not the first nor will it be the last time it has happened." She replied, standing up. She swayed, but managed to stay upright. She rubbed her temples, the headache coming back up, but didn't allow the two men to notice. "Well, it's been fun, but I got things to do." she muttered and began walking out. "I'll keep you company." Scott said, following her, leaving Logan to stand in the middle of the room, alone.

"You don't have to follow me to make sure I don't pass out." she said, clicking the elevator button for the main floor. Scott sent her a look. She turned away and muttered "Or because you feel bad."

"I don't feel bad."

"I see."

"I didn't mean that." he said quickly, but the smile on her face gave her away. He smiled tentatively back.

"Do I get to know why?" she asked him, trying for conversation.

"Why what?"

This time, it was Rogue that sent him a look.

"Ah, that. Well…we were due for a good fight."

"Mhm. It's not an appointment, Scott."

"we fight all the time."

"It rarely escalades into actual fists she murmured, more to herself than him.

The lower levels clicked by before Scott spoke again. "It's rarely deserving of fists, Rogue."

She remained silent.

Suddenly, Scott reached out and flicked the emergency cut-off switch. The elevator stopped and Rogue reached out to steady herself.

"What do you think you're-" She started, but Scott slammed his hands on either side of her head, pinning her to the wall. His face loomed dangerously close to hers. "You have my memories, Rogue. You know what the fight was about."

"I thought I was being noble by not filing through your memories. It's usually humane-behavior to ask." Scott clenched his jaw and reached to turn the elevator back on.

When they reached the main floor, he moved away from her to get out first.

He stopped, turned and said over his shoulder, "You're not human, Rogue. You're a mutant. Don't forget to put back on your gloves."


	4. DANGER room

Her headache was getting worse.

Three days and you'd think it would give her reprieve. But it was a constant roaring in the back of her head. It wasn't lack of sleep and it wasn't because she had absorbed anyone. It was just…there. It was driving her absolutely mad.

She stayed in her room most of the time. She avoided Scott and Logan, mostly because she needed to sort the jumbled mess of thoughts known as Scott's memories.

Yes, she had known what the fight was about…and because she knew, she couldn't face either of them.

Logan blamed her and Scott…

Scott didn't.

She rubbed her temples as she stepped out of the room. "You're going to wear holes into your head if you keep doing that.", someone mumbled. She turned her head to left and saw Scott leaning against the wall, waiting.

"It helps." she muttered, walking away from him.

"If it helped, then you wouldn't keep doing it. It'd be gone by now, right?" He asked, his voice rising to reach her as she walked further away.

She didn't answer.

She heard running and Scott appeared next to her, sending her a light smile before asking, "I wonder…when did you become so despondent?"

She stopped and turned to stare at him. "When did you start to actually care, Scott?"

He raised his brows and if she could see his eyes, she was sure she would've seen shock.

"What?"

"A year, Scott. An entire year and you ignored everyone in this house. You walked around like a ghost and the haunted look on your face was so obvious and terrifying, no one knew how to approach you. Sorry if I am a bit confused as to why you're speaking to me now."

"Maybe because you don't look at me with that pity in your eyes." he replied, his voice so low she had to strain to hear it. "Pity?" she asked.

"Yeah, pity. Every time I looked into someone's eyes and saw that pity, it reminded me of what I loss. That entire year that I was coping, you looked at me the same as you did before the accident. With you, I could forget for a moment that Jean was gone. In your eyes, I was just me. Not 'Scott who lost Jean'."

Why was her dumb heart doing flip-flops? He had only began talking to her three days ago and suddenly he was in her thoughts _all the time_. She needed to get away from him before she actually started feeling something more for him then friendship. Forget the fact that he just told her that the only reason he stayed sane was because of her. He was still dangerous.

He was still Jean's.

"So you ignored me for an entire year because I was your 'salvation'? That makes sense." she told him, beginning to walk away again. Scott stayed where he was, and a moment later she heard him ask "Rogue, are you alright?"

"Fine" she yelled over her shoulder, rubbing her temples. She didn't notice the picture frame on the wall was shaking.

X

"Maybe he feels bad."

"Or maybe Scott has finally lost his mind, Ororo."

The weather witch shrugged her shoulders. "It's possible." she muttered, her eyes clouding white as she scanned the sky. "Anything?" Rogue asked from her perch on the couch.

"No, the winds are normal, my child." Ororo answered, sitting down on the opposite couch. "Like always." Rogue murmured, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Are you expecting something to happen, child?"

"No, just…a feeling.." She answered.

Ororo leaned back against the couch and watched the young lady. There was something off about Rogue. Ever since the accident with Jean, Rogue seemed…empty. No grief, no guilt, not anything. Oh, she went through the motions and she did everything right, but something was…off. She couldn't place it. Rogue had never been adamant about her emotions, but it seemed she was intentionally keeping them secret from the rest of the mansion.

"How's Logan, child?"

"I wouldn't know." Rogue muttered, folding in on herself. Ororo raised a brow. "He hasn't spoken to you?"

"He hasn't spoken to anyone. He just mostly grunts and if he does answer, it's a monotonous tone that has you thinking you did something wrong just by breathing."

"He's been back for almost 3 weeks now. Isn't he leaving soon?" Ororo pressed, trying to hide her concern over Rogue's nonchalant attitude. In an area that used to keep her constantly talking, Rogue was now being frighteningly distant and silent.

Rogue shrugged and stared out at Ororo's garden. After a moment, she let out a growl and closed her eyes tightly. Her hand came up to the familiar spot near her temples and began forming small circles.

"Migraines?"

"It's nothing." Rogue murmured, before opening her eyes to stare at Ororo. A look crossed Ororo's face and had Rogue dropping her arms, the headache forgotten for a moment. "What?"

Ororo seemed to compose herself before she answered. "It was nothing, child. Nothing."

Rogue gave Ororo had odd look before she glanced down at her watch. "I have to go. I'll talk to you later, Ororo."

"Of course, my child." Rogue waved bye and disappeared out the door. Ororo brought her hands up to rest her chin on. Since when had Rogue's eyes ever been anything but brown?

She shook her head. It was a trick of the eyes. Nothing more. She turned to stare out the window and the clouds rolling slowly by.

X

She hadn't been in the danger room for almost 6 months. It wasn't because she felt useless whenever they had the sessions. At least during that time she had had physical combat. It was mostly because Scott lost interest after a while and Logan was never there to run a session. The danger room was just another room with too many memories.

She stepped off the elevator, still clad in jeans and a tank, and glanced around the large room. Everything was still the same. The way they had left it so long ago. There was still the dent where Piotr had ran into the wall. There was still the puddle of water where one of Iceman's ice balls had melted. There was still Wolverine's 3 marks on the other side of the wall. There were still signs of everything. She shook her head. Too many memories indeed.

Ten minutes later, she stepped back into the room clad in her X-men uniform. She tightened her gloves and gave the uniform an experimental tug. She hadn't worn it in almost a year. Last danger room sessions, she had only been allowed to watch. Now, putting back on the old uniform reminded her of Alkali Lake. And her failure. And…her secret.

She rolled her shoulders and let out a sigh. "Which session…which session?" she mulled out-loud, trying to dismiss the memories, and was struck with the fact that all the sessions she ever did, she had been practically useless in. Sure, she had been able to run and avoid the obstacles with the best of them. But, when it came to actually making any headway towards the enemy…she hadn't played a large part except for stealing information.

She looked around the empty danger room and wanted to scream. She was planning on working off the edge of the headache in the danger room but now, she wasn't so sure…

She didn't even know how to start a session. "great." she muttered and wanted to slam her head against one of the many metal walls. What had Scott or Logan ever done? They usually shouted out a letter and random number. Or they had someone in the control room with them. Rogue had never paid attention, the adrenaline of the session always overriding her system. Actually, now she thought about it, only Logan and Scott could start up the session with their voice. "great." she repeated. She worried her bottom lip with her teeth and shrugged. She had come to work a session and she wasn't going to leave until she did. She cleared her throat and shouted "A-1." She waited, but nothing in the danger room changed.

"A-2?" she shouted. Nothing. "Guess I have to go get help." Pity, she had wanted to be alone to see if she could actually do it. "How BA would that have been?" she asked herself. She began to make her way out, but stopped when the room began shifting and changing. She stepped back and barely dodged a falling car. Oh, she recognized this session. And this was bad.

She ducked and rolled, barely missed being hit by a droid, before she could get up and run. Her body responded automatically. It didn't matter if a year or a day had passed, her body knew what to do. She dived behind a car and covered her head as a machine blasted something, sending a spray of gravel near her. She smiled. This was exactly what she needed.

She grunted 20 minutes later when she felt something slice her cheek. She wiped he blood with the back of her hand before turning towards the machine. Well, this one was a new one. It was taller than her, and it's weapons were sharper then the others. It struck out at her again and she avoided it. She jumped and sent it a kick that sprawled it on it's back. It got up quickly and began to make it's way towards her again. "shit." she muttered, and turned to run. She jumped over falling debris and avoided low moving obstacles as the droid continued chasing. An active power would've been useful right about now. She skidded to a halt as another one of the same type moved out from behind an overturned building. "Oh boy." she whispered, barely being able to register that the room had sent her two big droids at the same time before this one opened it's arm and blasted something towards her. She juked and rolled, spitting out dust as it entered her mouth.

She jumped to her feet and narrowly missed a razor sharp disk as it zoomed past her face. She blew the white strands out of her face as she continued running. "I can handle this. I can handle this-shoot!" she shouted, tripping. She turned in mid-air so that she landed and slid on her back. She rolled to left to avoid the droid's sharp claw as it hit the ground. With it stuck, she slid out from between it's legs and scrambled to her feet in time to land a well placed kick on it's rear. If feel forward, landing on its own claw. "Yes!" she shouted as the machine sputtered and shut down.

But, she had forgotten about the second droid. She felt the blast on her back and would've let out a cuss if she had the breath. Instead, she fell forward onto her knees and fought to keep her vision. Usually, sessions stopped right when a team member got hurt. She wondered why this time it was different. She heard the droid as it stepped behind her. Twenty minutes of danger room had tired her and she did nothing more then weakly shout "stop" to see if the room would respond. It didn't. The claw of the droid wrapped around her neck and she closed her eyes against the pain. Funny how she never noticed how damaged she had got.

She heard a funny sound and opened her eyes in time to see a red beam fly over her head. The grip on her neck loosened, and a hoarse voice shouted "End session!" before a strong and warm body stopped in front of hers. She felt forward, and the last thing she remembered was smelling…Scott


	5. A Moment is a Moment

"You're acting like I hurt myself on purpose, Scott!"

"You're right! Sorry if I thought running a Beta-Alpha Danger Room session by _yourself_ seemed just a little suicidal to me!"

"I told you before, I didn't mean to start the Beta-Alpha program! Ouch." she bit her bottom lip as Dr. McCoy dabbed an open cut with medicine. "Sorry dear." he muttered, sending her a blue smile. She smiled back, but it faded when Scott started another one of his livid rants. "Do you have any idea how bad it could've gotten? Rogue, you were _dying_ when I found you. There was a giant hole in your back and a droid had you by the neck! You're old enough to know that we don't do Danger Room sessions by ourselves. Especially with your power!"

"I just needed to work out and the danger room seemed like a good idea-"

"Then try yoga, Rogue! My god, it had you by the neck!"

"I could've handled it! I was just…tired…" her anger died down as she looked closer at Scott. His hair was disheveled, as if he kept running his hand through it, his clothes were wrinkled and his face looked ragged. If she didn't know any better, she'd thought Scott had actually been worried about her. She turned away and mumbled, "Sorry."

Scott let out a sigh. "Don't be sorry, just be…careful."

She remained silent, wondering why Scott cared so much. "Hank?" Scott asked, and the big doctor nodded his head before standing up to leave. Rogue stared up at him in protest, but he sent her another smile before leaving out the door. She was surprised when Scott sat down where McCoy had vacated, but jerked her arm back when he reached for it.

"Relax. Living with Jean taught me some medical stuff." he muttered, and held out his hand for her gloved one.

"Just be…careful." she repeated his advice back to him and was able to elicit a smile from his grave face. He ministered to her wounds in silence, and she finally felt at peace. No headache, no stress and no pain. Just here with Scott and herself, not having to worry about the outside world.

Scott's voice penetrated the silence. "Did you have some sort of death wish, Rogue?"

She stared at his bent head in astonishment. "Death wish?"

"The Beta-Alpha program-"

"I told you already, I didn't mean to start the Beta-Alpha program-"

"I know, but, why did you try a danger room session by yourself?" he asked, stopping his treatment to look at her. She stayed silent, afraid her answer might actually piss him off more. Funny, since when had she ever cared about what Scott thought of her? Maybe it was between the moment where he saved her and where he had said she basically saved him. That was a 4 year time span. Had she liked him all that time? She remembered thinking about Logan most of the time, but Scott had always been there. Maybe it was because he was Jean's, but somehow she had put him out of her mind.

"Rogue?" Scott's voice brought her out of the train of thoughts running through her mind. "Hmm?" she asked, forgetting the question. "Am I making you that speechless in my presence?" he asked, the old Scott she remembered showing through. She smiled and he sent her a grin. But it faded and serious Scott came back. "Why did you try the session by yourself?"

She turned towards the medicine cabinet, unable to meet his gaze a she answered it. "Ever feel useless, Scott?"

"Sometimes." he answered softly and she missed the pain in his voice.

"Doubt it. I'm good for one thing, Scott, and that's getting information. I was left on the Jet back at Alkali with Bobby because I was too young and my power useless." She sent him a look when he opened his mouth to protest. He remained silent and she continued. "My skin…is a weapon. Only used when absolutely necessary. I don't have an active power. When we're on a mission, I am only fighting if I had absorbed a mutant's power. Bobby's ice, John's fire, your eyes, Jean's telekinesis, Mystique's shifting, even Toad's…thingy. I have no other use then that. I wanted to feel…needed. To feel as if I could do something in a fight other than making someone pass out because I held on to them for too long. I wanted to be an actual, useful…xX-men." she turned to stare at him as she finished her answer. After a moment, Scott spoke. "You felt…useless?"

She nodded.

"So, you did physical training, _by yourself, _so you could get…better?"

She nodded again.

"How would you know if you made a mistake? Or if you were actually getting better?" he asked, thoughtful.

This time, she shrugged before she answered. "If I got hit, I would learn from that. Most sessions stopped after a member got hurt." she told him dryly. "The Beta-Alpha program was specifically designed for me and Logan…_only_."

"Well, I didn't start it."

"You can't, the only ones who can are me and Logan. Usually, we're together and we start is by saying BA. But, only our voices can activate it-"

"BA?" Rogue asked, her eyes widening.

Scott let out a chuckle. "Remind me to change the command." He told her dryly. She smirked and tugged her arm back. "I can handle the rest, Scott. Thank you." she stared down at her uniform and let out a sigh. "I remember when I had to replace these things all the time-"

"Let's do it together."

She looked up startled. "What?" She yelped. Scott let out a laugh. A good, from-the-tummy-laugh-till-you-choke laugh. "Not that. I meant Danger Room sessions. I'll train you and in return…you keep me company."

"On what?" she asked, suspicious. He shrugged. "Getting supplies, missions, et cetra."

She mulled it over. She'd be spending a lot more time with Scott…she wouldn't have a lot more time for herself…she's be spending _a lot_ more time with Scott…why was the thought so much more appealing then it should've been? "Ok." she answered. He gave her a smile before looking at his watch. "I, uh, gotta go. See ya later, Rogue." she smiled as he left.

She winced as the headache made its appearance once more. She rubbed her temples and let out a long sigh. She picked up the gauze and continued treating her wounds.

She didn't notice Scott on the other side of the window pane, watching her.

X

"_It's wasn't her fault." Scott roared, dodging a blow from Logan. _

_"Jean wouldn't have had to get the Jet unstuck if she had learned to park the damn thing!" Logan retaliated, swinging his fist again._

"_She made a decision that saved the X-men! If I had been in her position, I would've done the same thing!"_

"_Yeah, except you would've known better then to park the damn jet in mud and get it stuck in front of the dam!"_

"_You're life was saved because of her!" Scott yelled, ducking another blow that came close to his face._

_"I'd rather me be dead then Jean! How can you not blame her?"_

_"It wasn't her fault!" Scott only let out a grunt when Logan's fist finally made contact._

_Logan wasn't satisfied with the brief hit and finally said what had been on his mind since the accident. _"_Jean is dead because of her! Because of Rogue!"_

She blinked, bringing herself out of the scene with a small jerk. Scott's memories needed to fade from her head before she went completely insane. She stared at her reflection in her mirror, the sounds of the mansion coming alive around her as the memory died. She let out a sigh. This memory hurt more than the others, and it just had to be the one reoccurring over and over.

Logan had been like a brother to her and he…

He chose Jean over her.

She ran the brush through her long hair, the white catching in the sun that shone through the window. The memory of how she got the white was still branded in her mind.

Wolverine had saved her.

And now, he blamed her.

"Hey Kid." Her spine stiffened at the sound of Logan's voice. The last thing she needed was another adult yelling at her for her stupid mistake. She continued tying up her hair and only turned to look at Logan standing in her doorway when she felt completely composed. She couldn't help but let a little resentment enter her voice as she finally spoke.

"He speaks. That's a surprise. I usually get a grunt or a growl." She stood up and strolled past him as she made her way to the Professor's office. He had called for an emergency meeting of the X-men, and his voice had held an urgency in it. It had been quiet in the last couple of months, and the idea that something was up with the Brotherhood became more and more real as the months passed. Even they didn't stay quiet for that long.

"Well, when did you become such a smart-ass?" he asked, his voice gruff and if she wasn't mistake, accusatory.

She turned to stare at him and the look in her eye had him stopping. "Whoa, now-"

"I have Scott's memories, Logan, don't forget that."

His face drained of color and his mouth seemed to stop working. She turned around and began walking toward the Professor's office once more. "Now wait just one moment, Kid-"

"Were you ever going to tell me you blamed me?" She asked, turning to pin him with a look once again.

When he stayed silent, it only ignited the anger more. "I'm sorry she's dead Logan, really I am, but you could've had the balls to say something."

"Look, I was distraught at the moment-"

"One year, Logan. One freakin' year and you never got around to telling me. A moment is a moment, Logan. A year is full of them." She continued walking, not looking back, as her heart broke.

* * *

OKie dokie, thanks to all who review, you have no idea how much it helps to know someone is actually reading this. I know it may seem like the story is going by pretty slow, but i wanted to have a foundation to build on. Sorry for many of you who might have lost interest along the way, i tried to keep it somewhat interesting, haha. Thanks again to those who reminded me about the spelling of storm's name. :D


	6. A New Mission

The brotherhood was on the move again. Something about recruiting a new mutant…or killing one. A mutant that could turn off the power of other mutants by just being around them. Magneto was after him, and the Professor didn't trust Magneto's intentions. "They couldn't stay quiet forever, I guess." Bobby murmured, as the Professor kept talking. "Almost a year. Even Magneto was probably itching for a fight." Kitty replied, turning towards her boyfriend. "But why wait?"

"He probably didn't have anything to fight for." Kitty answered. Rogue stared at the two out of the corners of her eyes. Kitty was bouncing around on her heels, waiting for the mission to be granted. Bobby kept clenching and unclenching his hand, turning his power on and off. Startled, she realized that she wasn't looking forward to this as much as they were. This was just another mission for them, a chance to use their powers. To her…this was actually important. She actually cared about this mutant. She was actually paying attention to the details. When had she changed so much?

"He lives in New York. His parents called me, wondering about a school for gifted youngsters-" The Professor carried on, and Rogue took the moment to assess the people on the mission.

Scott was in his usual spot by the Professor, but since Jean died, he let the Professor take head of missions more and more often. He was quiet, nodding every couple of seconds, and other times she would catch him drifting off, not really paying attention. There was Logan, whom refused to meet her eyes, leaning against the back wall. His mind too was wandering every so often. Ororo was next to her while Bobby and Kitty were to her left. That was the team. She wondered if anyone else noticed that the last real mission they had been on, they had lost one of their own.

"Would you stop bouncing around, Kitty?" Rogue asked, her headache forming once again. "Aren't you excited? This is our first real mission since we graduated!'

"I am paying more attention to the briefing. You should too." Rogue whispered, sending a look her way. Ororo stifled a laugh. "Jeez, sorry I was just trying to have some fun. What crawled up your ass?" she heard the snootiness in Kitty's voice and it irked her simmering anger. "stop acting like you're in high school and take something seriously for once."

"I am. If you go into every mission so serious, you'll end up miserable like Scott-"

"You have no right to speak about that." Rogue spoke back, her voice rising.

"Don't tell me you've not noticed it-"

"I said, you have no right to speak about that." Rogue growled, her voice lowering dangerously. "stop acting like you're older than us. Don't think I forgot the only reason Jean isn't here is because-"

"Kitty!" Bobby's voice cut her off. Rogue held up a hand to stop him and neither of them noticed that he was pushed back a bit. The professor had stopped speaking and was now looking at them curiously. "Finish it." Rogue said, looking at Kitty. But, Kitty had turned red and was sputtering, realizing that she had been about to say. "I don't-" she began, but Rogue cut her off. "Finish it." No one noticed that the Professor's book on his shelf was shaking. Or the fact that a strange green color was changing Rogue's brown eyes into a dark hazel. Her headache was coming back full-force, but Rogue ignored it, keeping her eyes on Kitty's. "Finish it." Rogue repeated.

Kitty turned her head up, refusing to be bullied by Rogue. "I said, don't think I forgot-"

"That's enough, Kitty. Go get Piotr. You're off the mission."

"But Professor-"

"It wasn't a choice, Kitty." She turned even redder, and sent a searing look Rogue's way before she stomped off. The room remained quiet and when the door shut with a loud bang, no one moved. Rogue turned to look towards the Professor, and that's when her knees gave out. Both Logan and Scott dived for her, but Scott was faster, reaching her at lightening speed. He caught her around the waist and she saw her reflection in his red shades. Her headache was screaming behind her eyes, but she tried to push it down.

"Rogue-"

"I'm fine, Professor. Just a …headache."

"Again?" Scott asked, concern in his voice. "I'm fine. Please, Professor, continue." The Professor gave her an odd look before continuing. Scott stayed by her side while Logan stayed close behind her. Piotr stepped in and sent everyone a small smile before standing like a statue next to Ororo. "That's the plan. Magneto is going to strike soon, so the sooner we leave, the better." Everyone nodded, and the Professor moved past them to open the door. "The X-Jet in 20 minutes." he told them before heading out, presumably to talk to Kitty.

Everyone followed suit, Scott and Rogue being the last ones left in the room. "Well…" she began, starting to follow Ororo. Scott caught her by the arm and asked "A minute?" Ororo turned around and Rogue gave her a nod before she closed the door. "Yeah?"

"Maybe this mission is too soon for you-"

"Scott-"

"It's only been a week since the Danger room accident-"

"I can handle it." she assured him. "Rogue."

"Scott." They both stood staring at each other. "I can handle it. Stop worrying so much." She opened the door and headed out, leaving Scott alone in the office. He looked around for a moment. _Stop worrying_, her voice rang through his head. Problem was, when had he started? Rogue had somehow done something to him. He found himself worrying about her more and more every day. It was odd. He never thought he could care again in his life. Jean…had been everything. When she died…it felt like a hole had been ripped through him and left him with nothing.

He could never smile and every time Logan came around he was reminded of exactly what he lost.

His Jean.

His love.

His life.

But he saw the way she was with Logan. How she felt. He didn't need to be a telepath to know that she had felt something for the animal. And he had fought to keep her love for him. But, the feelings for the beast had grown and Jean had changed. she had loved Logan.

The pain in his heart…he didn't think he could bear it. If she hadn't died…maybe her and Logan would've gotten together. He shook his head, the truth startling him. They would never find out.

His thoughts drifted back to the southerner. Rogue. She made him smile, made him laugh. He woke to days wondering what mischief she could get herself into again…days where he wondered if he could get her to smile that secret smile. He wanted to touch her, to take care of her…he wanted to feel again. And she let him do that.

Something was happening to her. She was changing. The constant headaches weren't normal and she was folding in on herself. She rarely spoke, and if he remembered correctly, she used to speak often. It was like…she was shutting herself down. The death-wish known as the danger room and the insomnia were signs of something…he couldn't put his hands on it. When had the rogue ever mattered so much…?

He shook his head. He needed to focus on the new mutant. Rogue could wait.


	7. The Cure

"Can you absorb, erm, animals?" Cyclops asked, staring down at the little terrier on his feet. "I can't stay I've ever tried, Cyclops." Rogue told him dryly. They stood in silence. "How did we get regulated to guard duty?" Rogue shrugged. "We drew the short straws I guess." She gave a disdainful look towards the dog. They stood in silence once more, and when Scott couldn't stand it anymore, decided he wanted to see Rogue smile again. "It's quiet out here…too quiet…"

"Alrighty, James Bond-"

"Actually, Rogue, it's John Wayne."

"Same difference." she muttered, rubbing the familiar spot by her temples. She was impatient, and she wondered where her foul mood came from. They had been standing there for a good hour and a half, just waiting for something to happen outside of the boy's home.

Nothing.

No attack from Magneto. No shifter trying to trick her way in to get the boy. No idiotic pyromaniac blowing up cars to distract them. Nothing. Rogue usually never doubted the Professor, but something had to give. "It's been almost 2 hours and nothing. If something was going to happen to the boy, I am sure Magneto would have been faster than this. Especially if he knew we were going to stop him."

"Magneto isn't stupid enough to walk into a trap."

"We're not setting a trap, Cyclops, we're simply talking to the mutant before Magneto can get to him." Scott remained silent when she finished. "The Professor knows what he's doing, Rogue." he finally told her. "Right." she murmured, trying to push the headache away. It was another 10 minutes of silence before either one of them spoke.

"Why did you move the plane?" Scott asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Rogue closed her eyes slowly. She had been dreading the question. Every time she was alone with Scott, the dread built up more and more. She had hoped they could avoid speaking about her, but she had to face it. Jean was probably the only reason they were even talking in the first place.

"I moved it because…I had to."

"We could've made it to the Jet in time without you flying it."

"I wasn't risking that. I made a decision and I am living by it. Yes, I could've prevented Jean's death and yes, I understand I am probably the only reason she's not here-"

"You actually believe that?" Scott asked, and turned towards her. She was struck dumb by the clench in his jaw and the hard set of his grim mouth. She took a wary step back, but kept her gaze leveled as she answered him. "I know what everyone thinks, Scott. I am not that dumb." Scott opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when the gutter by him started to vibrate. He turned and gave it an odd look. The wind chime above their heads began spinning erratically and the metal doorknob began clicking and un-clicking. "Shit, Magneto's here-" Scott started, but cut himself off when he heard a fireball whistle through the air. "And he brought company." Rogue said, John's face flashing through her mind. They both threw each other a look before they set off running, circling the left side of the house. He turned to her quickly and said, "You're wrong Rogue, you are that dumb."

"What-Scott, watch it!" She shouted, tackling him and sending them both to the ground. They narrowly missed a fireball heading straight for them. "Magneto." Rogue whispered, throwing her head up to the skies.

His cape swirled around his legs as he lowered himself to the ground. Ever by his sides were Mystique and Pyro, his new recruit. He hadn't changed much in a year. He still had his boyish blonde hair and the angles in his face weren't quite set yet. He had a strange contraption attatched to the glove on his arm. But, he was still John. He gave her a quick glance before the cold shield settled over his eyes. Instead, when he turned away, he turned towards Magneto. The old man sent a crooked smile their way before turning towards the Professor.

"Charles, my old friend."

"Eric."

"I see you've met him." Magneto replied, giving a small nod towards the short figure standing next to the Professor. Rogue turned to look at the young boy for the first time. She stifled a gasp. He couldn't have been more than 8. Magneto was fighting for…him? A young boy? He was going to kill the mutant, Even though the boy was so young…?

"I've met him yes. His parents are trusting me with his safe-keeping…for now."

"Now, Charles, don't make this any harder then it should be-"

"The only one making it difficult is you, Eric."

"This mutant can be the end of us. Have you heard the humans speaking of a cure? A cure! As if there is something wrong with us." Magneto chuckled at his own joke.

But all Rogue heard was the word "Cure". The shock of the word almost sent her to her knees, begging to take it now. There as a cure. The possibility of getting rid of her power. Her skin. She glanced down at her hand, ignoring the look Scott seemed to be sending her. She could finally touch. She could kiss. She could hug someone without being scared she's take some part of them with her. She didn't have to put on extra clothes to cover her skin. She could be free. She could _finally _touch someone and _feel _them. She glanced toward Scott, surprised that he was the first one that came to mind.

_Cure _

She could feel.

_Cure_

She could be _normal._

_Cure._

She could love…

"A cure? You think they could actually make a cure out of this mutant? He is the very thing they resent." the Professor answered. "I am sure the homo-sapiens will try anything they can to bury us and our…_mutations._" Magneto spat the word as if he had just tasted sour milk. "Killing this child won't stop them, Eric. You know much better than that." Xavier answered, pushing the child slightly, setting him safely behind the Professor's wheelchair.

"Better safe than sorry, Charles." Magneto raised his hand and the small streetlamp near the young boy began shaking. "Cyclops!" The Professor yelled and immediately, Cyclops' hand raised to his visor. The red beam shot out of the edge and just as quickly Magneto deflected it. "Storm!" Xavier's voice boomed and the weather witch's eyes clouded over as a dense fog began to form. "Rogue, Wolverine, get the boy back to the jet!" Xavier roared, and she immediately complied. She ran and grabbed the boy's hand, sending him a reassuring smile, before she began tugging him back towards the front of the house.

He ran fast, and Rogue thanked whatever God there was that he could keep up. The black jet loomed in front of them and suddenly, the boy wasn't running fast enough for her. They needed to get there faster. She picked him up like baby, and immediately his arms circled around her bare neck. Her heart stopped beating as she waited for the familiar tug and pull, the pain, of losing herself and allowing his personality to take over. Her breathing faltered when she realized her skin wasn't doing _anything._ She kept running, Wolverine's labored breathing behind her, but her mind was racing. Was this what it would feel like if she was normal? If she could touch? To not be scared of her skin and her body? She revealed in the glory of it. But no sooner had she started then she felt it. The hum of her skin as it responded to the boy. He let out a shriek and her own joined his. "WOLVERINE!" She shouted, and immediately he was by her side, grabbing the boy. They both continued running, but she began to stumble, fighting the darkness that threatened to overwhelm her. This wasn't possible. The Professor had said that the boy could "turn-off" their mutations, that he could-

Her headache hit her like a fist to the face, the pain so much more overwhelming and acute then it had ever been before. She tripped and fell, the momentum of her run sliding her further. "Rogue?" she heard Wolverine's yell and suddenly there he was, kneeling next to her. "Logan?" she replied weakly, the headache threatening to throw her over. "The boy…the boy?" She tried to sit up, but the pain in her head had her doubled over. "He's fine, he's fine. Marie…MARIE! Stay with me!"

"I'm…I'm trying!" she shouted. Or at least she thought it was a shout. It ran through her head like one. She needed to focus. She had to get rid of the pain. She's done it before. She could fight this. She was Rogue, the untouchable, she wasn't some 8-year-old kid scared to death of these people who were after her. She just wanted to hide and the man in the wheelchair helped. He said he was going to help her-

Stop. She was Rogue. She was herself..."Rogue!" someone shouted. The voice seemed oddly familiar. She tried to focus on it, But it was distorted, as if someone stifled it with a pillow. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered it was a man. A man with red eyes. No, not red eyes. Red shades...

"Scott!" she yelled, bringing his face into her mind. She felt the sting beneath her eyelids and in desperation to rid herself of the pain, she opened her eyes. The red beam shot out, the force knocking her, Wolverine and Cyclops backwards. Her shoulder hit something and she registered the pain dimly, the hurt in her eyes more apparent. "Rogue! Help her, she's bleeding!" Wolverine's voice rang through her head.

Immediately, she brought his face into her mind and the sting behind her eyes began to fade. She rubbed at them, ignoring the headache that was beating fully, and instead focused on something. Her shoulder began to hurt less and the stinging behind her eyes had completely stopped. Her vision began to fill with black dots, and to stop their full invasion she focused on the man in her direct line of vision. Scott was kneeling in front of her and he seemed paler then she last remembered. His face was taunt and drawn. She focused on him, but eventually her body became numb. Her eyes began to drop, the green in them dying a little."Scott…" she murmured, before she fell forward.


	8. Falling Up

Her head felt like it was going to split open. Bust open, was probably a more apt term. She felt someone carrying her and then that faded to be replaced by a feeling of flying. She faded out again and the next thing she felt was someone's fuzzy fingers touching her bare wrist. Something cool was pressed on her chest and then that faded to be replaced by darkness. Voices floated in and out and sometimes she could place them, other times they were distorted blurs. She had the awareness of someone holding her hand and someone yelling. Her hand was dropped before she felt the familiar tug of her power. She needed to open her eyes, but every time she went to do so, they felt like they each had a 50 pound weight on them. So she just stayed floating.

A fog seemed to settle over her senses. It coated her body and relaxed her limbs. She dreamed usually, passing the days with pictures and video sequences flying behind her closed eyes. They were jumbled, blurred and confusing. In one she saw a figured coated in red fire, eyes as black as coals. In another, a figure swathed in green light, eyes as bright as the sun. Powers clashed and the light seared her senses. In others, Jean was there smiling, her face luminous and relaxed. Scott, Logan, Xavier, Ororo, and others floated, memories of theirs fading in and out. Eventually she fought her way out of the fog. And into a heated argument. "It's been 3 days. Why hasn't she moved?" someone shouted. She was pretty sure that that was Scott's voice. "it takes time, Scott-"

"It's been 3 days!"

"Watch it one-eyed." Someone's low voice murmured. "I don't get it. You said he turns off our powers." Scott muttered, and the Professor's voice came next. "I too am confused. Rogue's powers are increasing at an alarming rate. Mark's powers should've completely shut hers off."

"Well, what about the surfacing of Cyclops' and Wolverine's abilities, Charles?" Ororo's voice blended in with the others. "I am not sure. The absorption of Mark's powers must've triggered past regressions in her body. I can't say for sure until she wakes up."

"If she wakes up." Kitty's voice added to the others. "Kitty!" Bobby shouted, and if she had been looking, Rogue was sure Kitty's face would've been beet red. "All I am saying is it's been 3 days and she hasn't even moved! We have to expect the worst here-"

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Kitty, but I am fine." Rogue murmured, her voice low and weak. She wasn't sure if they had heard her or not, and right about then she didn't care. She was too tired to care. She kept her eyes closed, but her senses were back. She could speak, she could lift her hand and she could think. The fog and it's remaining effects were drifting away and she was slowly regaining her abilities. She turned her head toward the voices and opened her eyes.

There was Dr. McCoy, which meant she was in the med-lab. Ororo, the Professor and Logan were standing off to the side with Kitty and Bobby behind them. Scott was seated next to her, and the only thing she could see was his back. His very attractive back. She shook her head. Maybe she was still a bit loopy.

They hadn't seemed to have heard her because they kept arguing _about_ her. "I told you she wasn't ok for the mission."

"No one thought she would actually touch the kid, one-eyed. Even if she had, it shouldn't have made a difference."

"No, he's right Logan. Rogue has been…off lately." Ororo answered, her voice filling with concern. "She hasn't been right since the…accident."

"You think something happened with her when Striker turn on his weapon?" the Professor asked, and she heard the whirring of his chair as he moved. "I don't think that that's it, Professor. I think-" Ororo started, but Scott interrupted her. "She's blames herself for Jean's death." Rogue closed her eyes at Scott's startling confession. No one noticed. She hadn't meant everyone to find out that way. She never even realized she had been hiding herself away. It was just so much easier never to see the blame in their eyes. But, Scott didn't know everything. Scott would never understand the real reason she blamed herself for jean's death. He would never forgive her.

The room remained silent. She could hear the steady drip of the IV in her arm but only paid attention to the people in the room. "She blames herself for…Jean?" she heard the Professor ask. Scott let out a sigh. "Yeah. She thinks it's her fault about what happened." There was another stretch of silence before Ororo spoke. "That would explain some things. She seems so…reserved. She isn't like she used to be. Like she's…scared."

"She saved us, though." Bobby's voice split through the others. Kitty and Logan remained silent. "Did she tell you why, Scott?" the Professor asked. "I didn't get to hear it. I only found out myself when we were guarding the front of the house. I assume she blames herself because she got the jet stuck." "That's ridiculous. No one blames her." Ororo said, sticking up for her. She wanted desperately to hear Logan's voice, and felt her heart breaking even more when he remained silent. She couldn't lie still any longer. She needed to move. She needed to do something other than sit there and contemplate her failure. She opened her eyes slowly and found she was being blocked from the others by Scott. She lifted her hand experimentally and when the motion felt ok, reached out to touch his back.

He went as taunt as a bow and slowly turned around. "Scott, what-" Ororo began, but the raise of Scott's hand stopped her. Rogue was now able to see his face and the lines of worry, his ragged face, the overgrowth of his beard and the grim set of his mouth allowed her to see how much she had worried him. It tugged at her heart but made her want to cry all at the same time. He _cared._ She felt so tired all over again. But, Scott was there. Her heart ached for him and she was surprised of the feelings coursing through her. It could've been Logan's sudden rejection, or Scott's sudden protectiveness, but she felt…different towards Scott. Someone actually cared for her. Rogue, the Untouchable. She felt sleep beginning to overwhelm her once more, but there was one thing she had to do before she let the darkness take her. She had to put the smile back on Scott's face.

"Hey." she whispered, her hand sliding down his arm to rest at her side. Scott reached out and grabbed it tentatively, the gloves she had been wearing 3 days ago preventing her skin from absorbing him. "Hey yourself. You had us worried there kid." he whispered, looking at her incredulously.

"You look like hell." She watched as his smile came before he spoke back to her. "Look whose talking." She let out a little laugh before falling back asleep.

X

She was out for another day before she could stay awake enough to have a coherent conversation. McCoy checked up on her every couple of hours and the Professor came to visit often, asking her how she felt, if she had an queasiness. She answered him as best she could and he seemed satisfied with that. Ororo came to speak to her, and Rogue found comfort in the woman's presence. They spoke of little, and soon after, Ororo had to leave for her 3 o'clock class. Except for Ororo and the Professor, Rogue was left to herself. No Logan. No Kitty. No Bobby.

No Scott.

She wondered why she was more affected by his lack of presence than the others. It's not like they had anything going on between them. But she had thought they at least hit 'friends' status. She shook it off. If she could get over Logan, she could get over Scott.

After 3 more days, she was going insane. "I am well enough to leave." she told McCoy on her 4th day awake. "I am sure you are, my dear. We just want to keep you in here a bit longer-""I'm going to go insane." she told him gruffly, and got a smile in return. "I'll speak to the Professor about it." he turned to leave.

She needed to ask him. After 3 days of thinking about it, she needed to know for sure if it was possible. "Dr. McCoy?" she started, and the blue man turned around to face her. "can I ask you something?"

"Of course." but, she hesitated. She might as well go through it. "The cure…is it possible?" Dr. McCoy raised his blue brows and gave her an odd look. "The cure?" he asked, and she nodded. He let out a sigh and turned away from her. "I…I am not entirely sure. I've been studying the young boy and it seems entirely possible. Why?" he asked, turning back towards her. And in his eyes, she saw it. "I…uh…never mind. Nothing." she leaned back against the pillows and turned away from him, ashamed.

* * *

Thanks for the reviews guys! They really keep me going!

The chapters might be coming a bit slower since summer session for college is starting and i am *cough* currently in it *cough*. They might be getting longer too, cause i am getting towards the main parts.


	9. Why They Call Me Untouchable

"The first thing you want to do is-"

"Cry?" Rogue asked, sending Scott a sideways glance. "Assess the situation." he finished, crossing his arms as he stood in front of her. "Ah, I see." she muttered from her seated perch on the Danger Room floor. They were finally starting the training sessions Scott had promised to do with her since she got hurt the first time. She had been looking forward to actual sparring, but so far, all Scott had done was tell her about safety. Over.

And over.

And Over again.

She was cross-eyed from boredom, but as he kept telling her and over and over again, safety was key. "It's what you think about first in a battle. How to keep yourself safe. You don't think about anyone else but you and how to stay alive. Your reflexes are prone to your safety." he continued on like that for an hour and a half.

She leaned back, the familiar headache now as part of her as her limbs. She closed her eyes and rolled her neck, stretching out muscles. Her suit was wasted, especially since all Scott seemed to want to do was talk. She unzipped her gloves and pulled them off, listening with half an ear at what Scott was saying. The Danger Room was cool, but sitting there for a while in her suit doing nothing had made her warm. She leaned her head back a bit and found the zipper at her throat. She slid it down to her navel, opening the jacket a bit to let in cool air. Her white tank stuck to her and she lifted it a bit to let cool air slide through.

It was a moment later that she realized Scott had stopped talking. She looked up in time to catch him staring at her. His mouth was opened slightly, as if he had been about to speak and caught himself. His body was taunt, narrow hips turned away from her but his wide shoulders facing her. His glasses, ones that she now owned a pair of in her room, blocked his eyes, but his face was drawn, as if he was holding himself back from doing something. "Scott?" Rogue asked, staring at him. He coughed and asked in a hoarse voice, "yeah?"

"You alright?" He nodded, nothing coming past his mouth. "Alright…", she muttered, hoisting herself up. She zipped the jacket back up and bent to reach for her gloves. Zipping those back on, she asked, "So, what now?" Scott remained standing there, staring at her, dazed. She reached out to tap his shoulder. "Scott, are you alright?" she asked again, and this time she was close enough to hear his muttered oath before he turned towards her. She had been leaning in to touch him again, just to make sure he was ok, and when he turned she jumped back. But, it was too late. His mouth collided with hers and his hands came up to grip her hips, automatically steadying them both.

She never thought kissing Scott Summers was anything amazing. It was just another man, another kiss and another person, right?

Wrong.

She had been so wrong.

She'd kissed Bobby once, and the moment had been hyped up by the fact that she could kiss him without putting him in a coma. The first kiss she ever had, actually, she'd put the boy into a coma. She'd just rather have avoided kissing at all costs. But Scott…

Even if it had been on accident, she couldn't help but noticed the way he leaned into her, deepening the kiss. It was…mesmerizing. Suddenly, all the thoughts and emotions she had been feeling about Scott in the past couple of months faded to be replaced by this one. This one moment where she was normal. Scott Summers, leader of the x-men, out-of-her-reach hottie, was kissing her. Rogue. The Untouchable.

The Untouchable.

Her mutation kicked in almost immediately. She felt him sliding into her, his personality taking over, attacking her senses. She watched as his memories played behind her eyelids, and she tried too tug away, to stop the onslaught. His bare hands came up to grip either side of her face and draw her back. His lips stayed on hers, and with each passing second, she felt herself fading as Scott's personality took over. Somewhere far away, one of them screamed.

_She turned, her red-brown hair catching in the sun as she caught his eyes. "What?" she asked, her voice playing over his skin like satin. Scott shrugged, but smiled and said "I am just admiring you.""Admiring me?" he nodded and she laughed. He loved her laugh and her smile. He loved her. He walked slowly up to her and wrapped his strong arms around her waist and caught her laugh as he kissed her. She turned towards him and deepened the kiss, the love for him overwhelming her senses. "I love you so much." she whispered, branding the words on her heart. _

_He smiled, his lips kissing her lightly on the forehead. "I love you too, with all my heart." She smiled again and he was struck by her beauty. He let her go, only to cup her face with his hands. He traced the familiar curve of her brown eyes and leaned into kiss her again. "I'll never leave you, Jean."_

She kept her eyes closed, feeling the familiar sting behind them. She needed it to fade. She needed Scott to fade. Her heart was hammering against her chest, and the giddiness and happiness she had felt earlier turned to pity and overwhelming hurt. She felt around for Scott's body, for his glasses, and almost cried from the pain. No, she could be truthful with herself. She was going to cry from the memories. Every. Single. One. Of. Them.

She rubbed at her eyes, wishing it would just go away. She focused on the pain, pushing it back and back, trying to push Scott away. She closed her eyes tighter and muttered over and over "stop."

It had never worked before. She knew it was useless. A personality stayed in her longer every single time she touched it again. And this time was no different. She felt him there, humming beneath her skin. His memories, his powers and his thoughts were all hers. She focused on the pain behind her eyes again, ignoring the headache that was thrumming with it. She pushed it back, hoping it would do something, even if it was just easing the pain a little.

And then suddenly, the pain stopped. Her headache faded to a dull roar and Rogue was left with nothing. Well, almost nothing. Scott's personality was still running through her head, but she didn't feel the sting beneath her eyelids. It was as if she made his power disappear. She took a deep breath before she carefully, slowly opened one eye. When everything in the Danger Room remained intact, she opened the other. She was on the floor staring up at the ceiling. Her head was foggy and stuffy, but she had most of her bearings with her. She winced at the pain of the headache, but felt nothing else but that. No optic blast hiding, waiting to spring forth.

Someone moaned next to her and with wide eyes, she turned her head. Scott was sitting up, holding his head and shaking it every so often.

She couldn't face him, she couldn't do it. Not with what just happened. Not with what she knew. She began sliding back, knowing that it was useless, but wishing he wouldn't try to find her. He wouldn't try looking for her. It wasn't like she could get out of the Danger Room without him noticing her anyways, but something inside her still wanted to try. She had made it about 5 feet until Scott's head raised and turned, looking for her. "Rogue?" She remained silent, still sliding back. "Rogue?" Scott said again before he turned the other way toward her. She knew the moment he saw her, because his face softened. And she knew at that moment that she was falling hard in love with Scott Summers.

She was falling for Scott.

This was bad. She couldn't be falling for Scott. She'd known him barely 2 months. _Five years,_ A voice whispered in her head. Ok, fine. Five years, still, she hadn't _known_ him known him. He was a part of Jean all those years. He was still Jean's. The mention of Jean brought the memories back full-force. And with them, came his powers.

"Scott." she whispered and barely closed her eyes in time before the red beam broke through. She covered her eyes with her hands, taking comfort in the feel of her gloves. "Shit." she muttered, and hissed when the sting behind her eyes came back full-force. She sat like that, muttering to herself, until she felt someone kneeling next to her. She jumped, keeping her eyes tightly closed. She had forgotten Scott was there. "Here, it'll help." he said, placing something in her hands. She traced it and registered it was his visor. One of them, anyway. She felt for the two knobs and fumbled when the leather gloves prevented her from putting them on.

"here." Scott said, taking it back from her. She jerked back when she felt his hands on her head and said automatically, "Be careful." She heard his muttered oath before she felt him slide the visor on. "Go ahead, open your eyes." he whispered, his voice sending shivers up her spine. She opened them slowly, focusing on one object over Scott's head, and allowed her eyes to adjust. Her world glowed red and soon, she was able to make out shapes as her eyes focused and readjusted to her new peripherals. She turned her head experimentally and whistled at the newfound scope. "No wonder you can see so much, even with the visor on." she joked. She turned towards him and caught the grimace on his face. "How bad?" she asked, focusing on Scott. "A little dizzy, but other than that, not much." she nodded and turned away from him. She tried to get up, but the angle that Scott's body was leaning over hers prevented her from doing so. So, she stayed. They remained like that until Scott spoke.

"Listen, Rogue, I-"

"It's fine, Scott." She told him, her heart chipping a little. He was sorry he had kissed her. Sorry he had put up her hopes. He was sorry he touched her. The Untouchable.

"No, it was stupid of me. I know what happens when people touch you-"

"Scott, it's ok." She looked up to smile at him, wondering if his visor stopped tears. "it's why they call me Untouchable."


	10. Control

Her powers were growing. She sat in her room, turning her hands over and over. She felt them, all the personalities, as she rested on the bed. It had been almost a day since she had kissed Scott and she still had to wear the visor. His power was staying and it was scaring her. She fell asleep with the optic blasts and almost created a new skylight when she woke up. She didn't understand. The power should've been gone. His memories were still with her, but she knew that would happen. The only things that faded eventually were the powers. Well, the only things that _used_ to fade eventually were the powers.

She needed to figure out if it was just Scott…or maybe others too. She stood up and walked over to her desk. She picked up a pair of scissors, but that's where she hesitated. What if she was wrong? What if touching Scott for a long time had been the only reason she still had his power? She shrugged. She was about to find out. She opened the scissors and placed one of the sharp edges on her open palm. Before she gave herself enough time to chicken out, she pressed and lightly cut her skin. The pain was small and she was glad it was like that. She wouldn't pass out from it and the shallow cut would heal quickly if she was wrong. She hoped she was wrong.

She stood there, staring at the small line of blood, willing something to happen. When they had gone to pick up Mark, she was sure she had been able to use Logan's healing power on her shoulder and she hadn't absorbed him since that night a couple of years ago. She squinted at the cut, waiting. Nothing, it just kept bleeding. She let out a sigh and wiped the small line with a tissue. "and maybe they're not growing. Dummy." she muttered to herself, looking desperately for a band-aid on the crowded table. It made a bit more difficult with her world tinged in red, but she eventually was able to locate one under a picture of her and Logan. She picked both up and stared at the photo.

It had been taken right before Jean had died. Logan came back from a 2 month absence and she had missed him miserably. She let out a strained chuckle. How apparent her like for Logan had seemed then. She had snapped the picture quickly, holding up the camera and tugging Logan towards her. He had given it one of his smirks, but in his eyes, she saw the brotherly-love. She threw the picture down, disgusted, as the memory flashed through her mind. She shook her head, this time shaking her own memories away, and went to open the band-aid. That's when she noticed the cut on her hand was gone, the blood seeping back into her body.

"Wow." She muttered, staring at her unmarked hand. There was no way…

She rubbed her temples, the headache starting to form again. "There's no way…" she repeated, drilling her fingers into her skull. This thing needed to disappear. She reached up to rub her eyes and was stopped by Scott's visor. She let out a growl, grabbed it and threw it on the desk. She rubbed them thoroughly and without thinking, opened them.

And…

Nothing. No blasts. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. It was a moment ago she could've sworn she felt the sting behind her eyelids, the pain and now…nothing. She leaned forward and stared. She placed a finger underneath one of her eyes and stretched. Her eyes were brown. The color she was looking at in her pupil was definitely not brown. Swirls of green seemed embedded into the brown. She blinked and it was gone. Just regular brown again. She leaned back and pursed her lips.

Something was happening to her. She glanced over at the pair of scissors and Scott's visors again. She bit her bottom lip and wondered. She went over to the window and opened it. The wind teased her white strands but the only thing she was looking for was space. Nice, open, space. "Ok, Rogue. Focus." She muttered to herself. She closed her eyes and slowly felt Scott's presence fill her as she dredged it from the corner she sequestered it to. She let out a small breath and pulled him out a bit more. She avoided the memories and just focused on his power. Up and up it came until she mentally grabbed for it with her mind. The sting came first and then the pain behind her eyes. She drew her brows together and slowly opened her eyes. If she could see herself, she would've noticed the green glow before the red took over. She pulled back on the power, reigning in the blast and stunned herself by being able to control it.

She pulled back more and watched as the red beam shrank, growing smaller and smaller. Eventually, she was able to stop it completely, but still feel the growing pain behind her eyes. She blinked and let out a breath she hadn't noticed she'd been holding. She closed her eyes slowly and began to place Scott's personality back into his corner. She mentally opened the door and shut him in. She waited a moment before she opened her eyes again.

The pain was gone and the headache had lessened. Her knees became wobbly and she gripped the ledge of the window to keep herself steady. She could control them. She could control their powers. She was under control…

She slid weakly down to her knees. She leaned her burning head against the cool metal of the window. She could control them. She repeated the phrase over and over in her mind. "Rogue…?" Someone asked from the doorway. She turned around, startled, and slapped her hands to her eyes when she saw Scott. Sure enough, the pain began and she snapped her fingers, pointing at the visors on the desk. She heard fast feet and in five seconds the cool visors were slipped on.

"Ok, so not _complete _control." She muttered to herself. "I'm sorry, what?" she heard Scott ask, and she raised her face to meet his. "Nothing." He looked at her, a worried look apparent on his face for a second, before he gave his visors a nod. "You still need those?" he asked and she nodded. "I'm not an expert on your powers or anything, but, shouldn't mine be gone by now?"

"it depends on how long the contact was and if I've ever touched the person before. The more times I touch them, the longer the power holds. I think this is your 4th time if I am not mistaken." she told him, leaning against the wall for support. Scott sat back on his heels and looked at her. He didn't say anything and behind his visors, Rogue had her eyes closed. Controlling the powers seemed to drain her of energy. It would explain why she had been out cold the first time she had used the healing and the optic blasts, unless she was slowly losing her mind-

"don't tell me you regret it, Rogue." Scott suddenly asked, interrupting her thoughts. "What?"

"Don't tell me you regret what happened between us." he said again. She opened her eyes and stared at him through the red-tinged screen. It was a moment of silence before she spoke. "The first boy I ever kissed, Scott, was in a coma for 2 months. I can still hear him in my head if I really focused. It's the same way with you. You…you're in my head, constantly. I can feel your personality, your memories, right there underneath my eyes. I have your memories, your thoughts, Scott. I see…everything." she stopped and hesitated. "Jean." he finished for her, and when she nodded he let out a sigh. "I can't take back what I felt for her, Rogue-"

"You loved her, Scott. You don't just stop loving someone."

"But you can start liking someone else. It's been a year and 2 months, Rogue, I…I loved Jean, yes, but…" he held up his hands and let them drop. "Did you like being able to touch her, Scott?" She asked, keeping her gaze on his. "Did you like being able to kiss her, to hold her, without the possibility of dying? Did you like a normal relationship Scott?" He remained silent. "Please, remember Scott, I can kill you if you hold on to me too long. I can't have a relationship. Not like the one you want. You can't _touch me_, Scott."

"I kissed you in the Danger Room-"

"And you almost died. I can still feel you in my head a day after I touched you. Next time, you might not be so lucky."

"Why is it so hard to believe that I just want to be around you?" his voice roared, startling her and himself. She pressed back against the wall before she spoke. "I know what guys want in a relationship, Scott. They want to touch, to feel and to kiss. Soon, just being near me won't be enough."

She watched as Scott's jaw worked and his mouth opened and closed. He was trying to find something to say and she revealed in the fact that she had made him speechless. He stood slowly and her eyes followed him as he began to walk to the door. He was walking out, about to close her door, before he turned slightly. "You don't know a damn thing, Rogue." The door clicked as he closed it.

* * *

i am so excited to say this story is moving along well! I can't wait to type out my ideas and i have to say, i love writing about Rogue. Sorry about the grammatical errors, i sometimes read fast when proof-reading and don't catch some things. .

thank you to every one of you who review, i love reading that you're taking time out of your day to read this ^^

And here we go :3


	11. Something New

She didn't tell anyone. Her hopes of it being another glitch in her mutation were still there. She didn't need to be more of a freak than she already was. She didn't need to confirm that she could control the powers of the people she absorbed. She would've finally had an active power, but it wasn't one she wanted. With the powers came the memories, and she didn't need anymore of those.

The pond rippled, the rock being able to skip across the surface smoothly before dropping. Another one followed and Rogue tried to see if she could get three going at the same time. She spent most of her day like that, avoiding people and wallowing in self-pity. She had really screwed it up with Scott. A week had passed and nothing. She mostly stayed in her room, but even when she was out and about…

nothing.

She threw another rock and watched as it moved.

The thing was, she hadn't told him anything but the truth. He couldn't have a normal relationship with her. So, they kissed. Big deal. She was still wearing his visor because the sting wouldn't go away. She could still see Jean in her head every time she closed her eyes.

She threw another rock, making a perfect skip.

It wasn't like she could have been with him anyway. Talk about no personal space. He deserved someone he could actually _touch_. Someone he could actually be with. He deserved someone who wasn't Rogue. Someone like Jean.

She let out a gasp as a memory seared in front of her eyes.

"_I see the way you look at him, Jean."_

_"Don't be ridiculous, Scott, he's nothing-"_

_"I trust you Jean. It's the animal I don't trust." _

"_Logan is not an animal. He's a man, just like you. He has feelings."_

"_You're defending him?"_

"_I am defending him, Scott. Logan has feelings-"_

_"I don't?"_

"_Would you stop being so hardheaded? I can have friends Scott!" The room shook and Scott's head flew up, looking at Jean. Her eyes were dark…darker then he ever remembered them being. She was shaking so bad, he could visibly see it. "Jean…?" he reached for her and something slapped him back. Jean let out a scream and collapsed, her hair like fire. Someone began banging on the door and Scott rushed to it, Jean's name lodged in his throat. "Professor Scott!" Piotr's voice, loud and strong, boomed through the wooden door. "Get the Professor! Get him now!" Scott yelled, throwing the door open._

_Piotr gave a quick glance at Scott before he saw Jean's crumpled mass on the floor. Her coal black eyes stared at him and in the second that their eyes connected, Piotr let out a scream-_

Rogue let out a short, quick scream, similar to Piotr's. Jean's coal black eyes were still staring at her in her mind's eye and in desperation to break it, she opened her eyes and stared into the water. She could still see Jean, staring at her through the water's surface. Rogue fell back on her butt and began scrambling backwards, desperate to get away. She felt a rock beneath her and wrapped her hand around it's cold surface. She closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of that stare, and instead saw Piotr's face. She felt his power coursing through her veins and chucked the rock, trying to fight his personality as it took her over.

She had never touched Piotr. This couldn't be happening to her. She _couldn't_ have Piotr in her head.

The rock hit the pond, but sank quickly, added by Piotr power until it dug itself in the bottom. "Out, out. Get out." she muttered over and over, rocking gently back and forth with her eyes closed. "Please get out. Please get out." She didn't want him there, she didn't want his dumb personality, she didn't want to see any of it! She opened her eyes and stared down at her arms as she felt cool metal sliding over her. She threw off the glove of her left hand and raised it, turning it back and forth as the metal coat glossed over her skin.

"no, no, no" she muttered, shaking her arm, trying to stop the metal's course. Soon though, she felt it. She didn't have to look at the water's surface to know that the metallic barrier enclosed her entire body. She could _feel_ it. She had to focus. She had to put Piotr away in one the rooms. She had to breathe, calm down and focus. She closed her eyes again and mentally pictured the rooms. She labeled one Piotr and opened the door. She felt herself shoving him in there, pressing down his personality and powers, and shut it.

She opened her eyes, but kept up the concentration. She raised her arm again and watched as the metal began to slide back. It split at her fingers and glided over her skin. It disappeared beneath the sleeve of her shirt and she felt it draw away. When she knew it was gone, she stopped pressing and pushing and allowed her body to relax. She fell back completely and let out a sigh of relief. She remained on her back, trying to sort her thoughts.

She had never touched Piotr. There wasn't any way she could've had his power and his personalities. Even if her powers had been growing, she doubted it could escalate to this. Just thinking about his power and having it? That was dangerous.

Why had Jean and Scott been arguing about Logan? Did Jean love him? It figures. She never even had a chance with Logan when Jean was around. It explained a lot of things she had seen in his eyes and in his memories.

And Scott…

She let out another sigh and buried herself more in the grass. She was back at him already. She stared up at the sky through his visors. Scott was someone she had to avoid at all costs. What she felt about him…was dangerous for both her and him.

She had to stay away from him.

The thought filled her was dread. She couldn't control her emotions around him. She closed her eyes. Since when had that been the case with Scott? When did she start loving him? She asked herself almost every day the same question, over and over. When had Scott Summers become more than Scott Summers?

She closed her eyes, tired, and let the sun warm her. She heard the slap of the pond's water as it hit the land. Smelled the wind as it picked up, playing with her hair and cooling her exposed skin. She let the land lull her to sleep.

That's when she dreamed of Jean.


	12. She was Rogue

_Her world was nothing but blue. Blue skies, blue ground, blue surroundings. Sometimes she just stayed floating, other times she faded away, time passing miserably. Memories passed through her eyes slowly and sometimes she felt days would pass while she watched them._

_Some days she could feel awake and move limbs and such, and others…she wasn't even in charge of her body. Time was nonexistent where she was. "They left you." a voice would whisperer every so often. Other phrases were muttered to the same degree, sometimes she felt anger, other times she felt sadness. Where was the family she had saved? Why weren't they there…why didn't they come to save her?_

_She needed to find them…but something stopped her. The voice…the voice was driving her insane! It was her voice…but it wasn't here behind the voice. She had to-_

_What was that? Someone else was there. Jean reached out and for a second hope flared brightly. Someone was able to see her. She could get them to help her. She could-_

_No…no! stop! They were hurting her! Stop poking! Stop, stop prodding! No, no more tests!_

_Pain._

_Darkness._

_Voices._

_Bright lights._

_Pain._

"_How can she still be alive?" A voice muttered and her eyes opened. "What's wrong with her eyes?" they yelled, shoving at her. She hated them. They were hurting her! Something flared in her brightly and the man in the black coat went flying. She turned, but she didn't want to kill anyone anymore. "They hurt you…" a voice in her head muttered and the man running away from her suddenly had to pay. He caught on fire, his screams chilling her to the bone…but making her smile at the same time. She could kill them…all of them. _

_She turned to stare at the blue prison that had held her captive. Her cold, black eyes assessed it quickly before turning away. She took a step forward…only to take one back. She stared down at her own body, confused. It was a moment before Jean realized it was her body once again. Before she could hurt anyone, she had to stop herself. She turned and began to run. She jumped off the cliff, plunging into the icy water below, a scream trapped in her throat. _

She woke up screaming, fighting against the restraints holding her down. They were hurting her, they kept poking her, prodding her and it pissed her off. She lashed out wildly, her eyes flashing green underneath the visors every so often. Her mind opened, the doors flying open as powers began to resurface. She felt Colossus' metal spreading, the sting behind her eyes as Cyclops' blasts began to build, Iceman's ice coating her hands and Pyro's fire building under her skin. She struggled, waiting for her telepathy to kick in, to unhook the restraints holding her down. Someone was shouting her name, but it wasn't 'Jean' they were shouting. It was 'Rogue'.

It took her a moment to realize where she was. Another moment to realize that she wasn't being held down by restraints, but by strong arms. She wasn't being poked, prodded or hurt. She was Rogue. She wasn't Jean. She closed here eyes, fighting the dream.

She was Rogue. She was herself.

She began to mentally close the doors, shutting away the powers. She felt the metal coat fade, the ice melt and the fire die down. Cyclops' sting stayed, reminding her of who she was.

Rogue, the Untouchable.

She stopped struggling. Instead she began to relax, fighting the dream while she fought to take deep breaths. She was Rogue. She repeated the phrase over and over, feeling her muscles lax with the effort.

A couple of minutes later she was completely in control. She opened her eyes slowly, the world tinged in red, and stared around. She was on the ground. She was at the mansion. She began to lift her hand to her head, only to find it gripped in someone else's. That's when she noticed Scott. He was bending over her, a bit out of her peripherals, and his face was contorted in pain. She swallowed. "Scott?" she watched as his face drooped, the pain disappeared to be replaced by relief, before he bent to wrap her in his arms. "My god Rogue. I couldn't get through to you. I was so worried." She hugged him back, scared by what just happened. "I'm sorry." she whispered, but was it for Scott…or for Jean?

"What happened to you?" he asked and she closed her eyes, seeing blue. "A bad dream." She whispered, opening them, missing the green flash. "A really bad dream." He pulled back to look at her, and she wished just for once that she could see his eyes. "A bad dream ever bring out other powers, Rogue?" She closed her eyes again and shook her head before pulling away from him.

"People have nightmares all the time, Scott." She muttered, standing up and brushing off her pants. "People rarely access other powers during their nightmares, Rogue." Scott replied, following her motions. She looked up at him and let out a sigh. "What're you doing out here?"

"I came to look for you."

"You found me."

"yeah, convulsing on the ground and screaming out 'stop'." he couldn't stop the fear or anger that covered his voice. "If I wanted to talk about it, Scott, I would." she said icily, beginning to walk past him. Fast as lightening, he reached out and grabbed her arm, jerking her back and into his arms. She opened her mouth to protest and was silenced as Scott's mouth slowly brushed over hers. "I'm sorry. Please, don't do that. Don't…don't shut me out like you do with everyone else." She closed her eyes and breathed in, smelling him. Her heart began beating wildly. "I don't want to shut you out Scott. I just…I want to be normal again." He lifted his hand and she felt it land on top of her head, brushing her long hair back. "Again?" he asked, prompting her.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to tell him, but wishing she could. She buried her face in his chest, not meeting his eyes. "I still have your powers, Scott, and it's been a week."

"Is that normal…?" she shook her head. "I should be able to shut you away, and I can't. I shouldn't have you in my head anymore _at all._ I can…I can access your powers and others I've touched." She didn't tell him about how she use the powers of those she hadn't touched. She wasn't 100% sure on that part anyway.

"It's like…it's like once I touch them, I can use their powers for an unlimited amount of time. It's never been like that before."

"Have you told the professor?" She shook her head again. "I can't. I want to be sure…I need to be able to control it first. I need to train it." She whispered, Jean's face flashing through her mind. She needed to control it…she needed to control her secret. "then we'll train it. Danger Room sessions will resume tomorrow if you want." Scott murmured and she felt his strong voice vibrate through his chest. She shook her head in disbelief. "You still want to train me, even after what…happened…?"

"I want to help you, Rogue. As for the other stuff? I can't say I'll be able to control myself around you, but I'll try." She nodded, the top her head hitting his chin. But, she wasn't sure she could control herself either.

The fear of the dream finally washed over her and she began shaking. Scott held her, his arms tightening around her as the shivers became violent. She closed her eyes, trying to fight Jean's emotions as they swirled inside her.

It had been so real, and for some odd reason, Rogue doubted it was anything but.

* * *

Sorry about the late update. Swimming and School have been taking up a lot of my time. PLus, it may seem weird, but i've been writing the ending to this story too :3

Thanks for all the reviews and the follows. It really does mean a lot.

This chapter is dedicated to Maryloue, who loves seeing an emotional Scott.

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	13. Light Sparring

She fell straight on her back and let out a grunt. She ignored the twinges of pain as she rolled onto all fours and pushed herself up. She heard him as he came running up behind her. She ducked, sliding her leg out and turned in a circle, trying to catch him behind his legs. He jumped, dodging the blow, before raising his hand to his visor. She heard the second it powered up before the red beam shot out and in that moment she closed her eyes. She opened the door to Cyclops' powers and pulled them out. She opened them again when she felt the pain behind her lids and then red beams clashed together, exploding.

She flew back and hit the metal wall hard. She let out a groan and held up her hands, keeping her eyes closed. She opened Cyclops' door, pushing his power in there before she shut it tightly. she reached behind her neck, massaging the spot before she opened her eyes again. "Could you have hit any harder?" Rogue asked, eying Cyclops warily. He shrugged, walking over to her. He held out his hand, and she curled hers around it, allowing him to hoist her up. She bit back a groan when her leg screamed in protest, and punched Cyclops lightly on the arm. "You said 'light' sparring, jerk."

"That _was_ light sparring."

"Remind me never to ask you to do 'heavy' sparring." she murmured, looking down at the cut in her arm. "You said you wanted to learn to control it. That's what we're doing." he told her, grabbing her arm lightly and turning it so he could see the wound. "Yeah, but Scott, come on. Most people get a day to get back in the swing of things." she slapped at his hand when he pressed too hard, sending pain receptors up her arm singing. He sent her a bland look before he bent his head, kissing the wound lightly. The move brought butterflies into her stomach and had her tugging her arm gently away. "Focus." she told him, her eyes sardonic. He flashed her a smile. "sorry, couldn't help myself."

"How can I learn to control it if you're kicking my ass constantly? It's been 3 days and I am sore in places I didn't even know existed."

"You're getting better at the optic blasts." As if her body wanted to prove him wrong, her knees gave out and he dived to catch her. "Or not."

"I'm just tired." she told him, attempting to straighten her legs. "Maybe we should take a break." she shook her head. "I need to get this 'tired' thing under control. The more I use it, the more my body is used to it."

"So, what do you suggest we do?" Cyclops asked. Rogue looked down at her arm. "We can try Wolverine."

"You sure you're up to it?" She shrugged. "Why not? It hurts like a mofo anyways."

"Have you ever tapped his powers before?" he asked and her mind flashed to the day they had saved Mark. "Once. It didn't end so well..." Cyclops glanced at her. "I was out for 3 days." she muttered, not breaking eye contact. His eyes widened. "Mark?" She nodded. "In all fairness, I didn't know about it much then. I just thought it was a freak accident brought on by Mark's mutation." She glanced back down at the cut, bending over her arm. Cyclops did the same while saying, "The Professor thought the same thing."

"I mean, it didn't start happening until i touched the kid and absorbed his power-" She cut off, her head snapping up. It hit Cyclops' chin and sent him into a frenzy of muttered oaths and curses. She stifled a laugh and leaned towards him, grabbing his head with her gloved hands. "oh gosh! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." he muttered, swatting her hands away playfully as he palpated his chin. She didn't successfully stifle the next laugh and instead turned it into a full belly laugh. She clutched her stomach and said in-between gasps, "Cyclops...so...composed...so in...control...cussing because...he got hit on...the head! Oh...gosh!" it was so strange to see Scott dazzled and to watch his strong control slip every once in a while. "yeah yeah, ok." he muttered, grabbing her mouth, his glove stopping her mutation from taking effect. She stopped laughing, but her hazel eyes still sparkled.

He found himself smiling, the move so easy in her presence he couldn't ever remember a time where he didn't smile. He liked the way her eyes were now. They weren't haunted or lost. They were bright, laughing, and so full of life. He liked that he could bring the light into her eyes and he found himself wanting to keep it that way. He felt something slam him in the gut, the feeling overwhelming his senses.

He was in love.

It seemed so simple. He was in love. It was different than what he had felt for Jean. With Jean it had been lust, a primal instinct they had had since they were kids. Everyone said they were perfect together, so they had been together. He felt as if he was convinced to be in love with Jean. With Rogue…his heart beat faster every time he saw her. Being around her made him want to smile and never stop. He wanted to touch her, to hold her, to chase away the darkness in her eyes and to never leave her. He needed her. She made him _feel_ again when the last year and a half had seemed like he could never feel again. Whenever she got hurt, he felt as if he had lost his life. Every time she cried, he wanted to be there to save her. He wanted to be her prince, her knight in shining armor. Her Protector.

He smiled, the small realization lifting his heart. His hands slid from it's place over her mouth to cup the side of her head. He leaned in, wanting to taste her, every muscle in his body on edge. A white strand fell lose and his other hand reached out to tuck it behind her ear. It was her gasp that stopped him.

* * *

She had been watching him since he had placed his hand over her mouth. Her heart had stopped beating and she was terrified to move. He was touching her and the feel of his hand on her mouth was the most…amazing thing. She never thought it would be romantic…but she felt her heart swell as he smiled. It was a small smile, but it seemed to her that he held his whole world was in it.

Then he had began to lean in and she thought her heart would actually burst. She wanted him to kiss her. She had almost closed her eyes and shorten the gap between their lips until her hair fell, the white reminding her of her power. She let out a gasp and wanted to cry when she felt him stop and pull away. "I'm sorry." he whispered, his voice so weak and dejected that she wanted to cry. She shook her head and tried to smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…it was my fault." she stood and Scott did the same. She turned and looked at him and was struck with a feeling. A feeling she couldn't describe. It was something like…hope. She hadn't mistaken the look on Scott's face, and if she could see his eyes, she was sure it would've confirmed it. He began talking, but she drowned him out, remembering what had made her head snap up before.

She had absorbed Mark's powers. If she could access them…

She could touch.

She reached out and placed his hand over Scott's mouth and he stopped. She smiled before closing her eyes. The hallway of rooms was small, only containing about 4 or 5 wooden doors. She walked down them, the names scrawled on top useless until she came to Mark's. Well, in here she called him Leech. She reached out and pushed it open and she watched as the power seeped out and through her. Without opening her eyes, she moved her hand away from Scott's mouth and pulled off a glove. She opened her eyes, the hazel swirls mesmerizing Scott, and lifted her bare hand. "Rogue…" he murmured and she watched his body tense as she drew near. "Trust me." she whispered and closed her bare hand over his cheek.


	14. Secrecy

She forgot what skin felt like. It had been years since she last touched someone, and even then her power pulled at them before she could really feel it. She forgot how warm it was. How soft. She felt the beginnings of a five o'clock shadow on Scott's cheeks and almost wanted to cry at the feeling. People took the sense of touch for granted and she had been one of them once. Now, she wanted to just sit there and be able to touch him all day. She reached out her other hand and lightly touched his neck, feeling his pulse at it jumped. They both laughed and she didn't move as his hand reached out to touch her face, his fingertips trailing lightly over her lips.

Suddenly, her face crumpled, her body sagged and she fell forward into his arms, her head buried in his chest. "Rogue?" Scott yelled, shaking her. "I'm fine….just, tired" she murmured into his chest. But her head felt like it was going to split open and her body felt like it was about to die out. She'd never been so tired in her life. She tried to lift her head and felt resistance from her own body. "Shit" she muttered, fighting to stay awake. "Rogue!" she heard Scott yell, but it was far away, unfocused and blurry. Her shoulder began to throb and she felt the warm liquid of blood as it slid down her back. Her eyes began to sting as she felt Colossus' metal begin to cover her body, only to stop and shrink back. The process repeated itself over and over as she felt winds begin to beat wildly around the Danger Room. She tried to sort the powers as they raged inside her, fighting to break free.

"Rogue-"

"I need to focus." she slurred, her mental block failing. She felt Scott's hand close around hers. "Focus on me! Focus on my voice!" he began talking, words just moving past his lips as he tried to get her to concentrate. She tried to ignore the pain and other personalities as she began to picture her mental hallway. The figure of an angel flashed in front of her eyes before the room shimmered into existence. She began shoving people in, throwing their personalities away as their powers faded. It was a full minute before she breathed, her head feeling as if she had just finished banging it against a brick wall for hours.

Scott was still murmuring words and she tried to smile, to stop him. But the pain in her shoulder was getting worse, and with a start she realized blood was still flowing down her back. "Scott." She fought to whisper, her voice small and weak. He kept talking and she shouted louder, "Scott!" he stopped and she felt as he turned to look at her. "My-My shoulder. Look at my shoulder." she reached for her shoulder, groping for the root of the pain. Scott fumbled, turning her around to stare at the wound. She heard him hiss and bite back a groan when he touched it. "This is bad." she heard him mutter and bent to pick her up. "No, no! I'll have to explain it to Mr. McCoy and-"

"Rogue, you could bleed out!" She shook her head, already opening the door to Wolverine's powers. She fumbled and green flashed before her eyes. Instead of opening his door, she saw him in her mind's eye. He was squished under one of the many cars parked in the garage, dressed in a grey shirt blotched with black oil. She watched as he jerked and his eyes glazed over. Then, the scene faded as Scott shook her. "Stop trying to fight me!"

"I can…heal myself…I just need…Wolverine's powers…" her breathing became labored and she fought as her vision began to blur. She tried again to open Logan's door but faltered as she kept bleeding.

There was a loud banging and she raised her head weakly, staring at the Danger Room door. Logan busted in, took one look at her and ran over. "Shit, Rogue, what-" He stopped, staring at the wound on her back. She couldn't stop staring at him though. He was wearing a grey shirt, the black oil blotch spread over the top near the chest. She had just seen him like that-

"She's bleeding out! We need to get her to the Professor!" Scott shouted, pointing at Logan to help him. The big man bent and picked her up, moving to stand. She reached out and without even really thinking about it, touched his bare arm. She felt it immediately, the wound stitching up, the blood seeping back into her body. She held on as he fell to his knees, still holding her. She closed her eyes and only wished she could ease the pain her power was causing him.

It felt like an eternity later when she let go and fainted.

X

"Do I get to know what you're trying to do, bub?" Logan asked, rubbing his throbbing head. Scott sent him a look before turning back to Rogue. Her face was pale, but other then that, she looked fine. He on the other hand, was ragged with worry and still had her blood smeared on his hands. "Shouldn't you be passed out or something?" Scott growled, throwing another look over his shoulder.

"I should be. She held on long enough." Logan muttered, rubbing his oil-stained hands on his shirt. Scott shook his head, trying to revive her. "Give her time." Logan told him, sitting back on his butt. "You seem to be doing well at that."

"I'm giving her space."

"Bullshit, you know you're avoiding her."

"You don't know anything about me, one-eyed."

"I know you blame Rogue."

"I don't blame that kid any more than I blame you for her death."

"Does Rogue know that?" Scott found himself shouting, and checked it. Logan always had a way of irking him. But neither of the needed to be fighting. "Sorry." he muttered, turning to look at the old man. But Logan wasn't looking at him and was instead staring down at Rogue. It was a moment before the he spoke. "I didn't know how to look at her. I blamed her yes…but not anymore. Jean had chosen to do what she was going to do. No one could save her."

"You're the closet thing Rogue has to family, Logan. Don't forget that." Logan let out a chuckle before asking, "When did you start to care so much, one-eyed.?"

"When I figured I was in love with her." Scott hadn't meant to say it, but it just came out. He liked the way it sounded though. He liked it a lot. Logan let out a whistle. "I know what you mean, old boy. I've loved her since I picked her up on that snowy day." Scott turned to stare at The Wolverine and found a far-away look on in his eyes. "What's happening to her, Scott?" Logan whispered, staring back down at her. He opened his mouth to answer and jerked when she spoke. "You're sworn to secrecy if we tell you, Logan." she murmured. "How long have you been…up?"

"Since I heard his grouchy ass ask what's wrong with me." she opened her eyes, the hazel color clear as she began to sit up. She clutched her head and let out a moan, swatting Scott's hands away as he reached for her. "I'm fine, just, stay back. I can't vouch for my powers."

"Power_s_? As in plural?" Logan asked, staring between them both before reaching for his pocket, looking for a cigar. He let out a cuss when he remembered that he had left them in the garage. "Secrecy." Rogue mumbled before Scott could open his mouth. Logan sent her a look before he nodded.

So, they told him everything.

They told him about her powers and how they were growing, They told him about the danger room sessions where she was trying to learn how to control them. "So, what happened to cause…that?" Logan asked, pointing to her shoulder. Scott looked at her, baffled. She shrugged. "I think…trying to use Leech's powers did something to mine. I think…I might have to stay away from that 'door'." And stay away from touch, she thought miserably to herself. Logan stood up and slapped his hands on his knees. "I'm in." they both looked at him, confused. "I'll help ya learn how to control them. You need me here in case that," he looked pointedly at her shoulder again before continuing, "happens again and I can help with the physical combat training." Scott and Rogue turned to look at each other and shrugged. "I don't see why not." she murmured, looking at Logan. "I could use the help, just in case." They both nodded and looked back up at Logan. "Secrecy." Rogue told him again and he sent her a sardonic look. "Of course."

They stood up, and Rogue stumbled a bit. She sat back down and Scott crouched to follow her. "Stop, don't worry about me. I'm…just going to stay here and make sure all the doors are closed. I need to be alone to concentrate."

"You sure?" She nodded and smiled at him. "If you're not out in 10 minutes, am busting back in." Scott joked, standing back up. She smiled again and made a shooing motion with her hand. They began walking away and she heard their voices raised as they entered into another argument about Scott's bike. She made sure they were completely gone before she closed her eyes. She felt as she was pulled into another mind, the one she had been in since she fainted. The place she went to wasn't the mental room, but it was still as familiar to her.

Alkali Lake.

She stared around at the blue water under the cliff and the turned when she heard the crunch of boots on the dead leaves. She thought she might've cried if she had the chance, but instead opened her mouth to speak when she saw the redhead. "Hello…Jean."

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Gah...school...I don't know how far and inbetween the updates will be, but i'll try my best to keep the updates as close together as possible.

Thanks for the reviews guys!


	15. I Don't Blame You

Jean smiled, but the effect was diminished by the sadness in her eyes. "Marie." Rogue flinched at the sound of her real name, but other than that, she remained still.

Three nights. Every night was a different dream, a different place, but they eventually made their way back to the lake. Sometimes they weren't nightmares, other times they were. Either way, she found herself tired and numb every time she woke up. Most of the time she could distinguish herself from Jean and sometimes she woke feeling the pain and the restraints. But, it had always been when she was asleep, dreaming. Jean being able to show up now just exemplified how tired she was. She refused to believe it was because their connection had become stronger because of the thing inside her or because her powers had been growing.

"I see you're lucid today." Rogue muttered, eying Jean warily. But the telepath didn't smile, sad just like she always was. Rogue let out a sigh. "Are you going to say anything this time except for my name and 'help'?" But Jean just stared at her, her brown eyes apathetic. "I guess not." She muttered, turning back towards the lake. "Do you know what just happened to me? What…" She let the sentence trail off as Jean continued just staring at her. "Pointless." She muttered, turning back towards the lake. "I guess you'll just leave me to try and figure out what you're trying to tell me. You know, I wish you had more for me to go on then the lake you d…di…disappeared at." She finished, not being able to say the work _died. _

She turned back to stare at the redhead. "You're in danger, aren't you? You need to be saved…right?" Jean nodded, but the movement was slow. "Then why don't you do more then just stand there? Why won't you help me?" Rogue shouted, closing the gap between them and grabbing Jean on both sighs. She let out a curse when she felt her hands burn and released Jean immediately. "Help." she heard the redhead whisper, before she was engulfed in flames and Rogue felt herself be thrust out of Jean's mind.

* * *

She jerked, opening her eyes and for a second, thought she felt the flames surround her. She closed her eyes tightly and began to calm herself down, beginning with her name and who she was. It was a minute before she let herself relax and another minute before she allowed herself to open her eyes again. The danger room came into view, fuzzy and distorted. She focused and the room cleared and she got her bearings. She glanced down at her watch and let out a scream when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Jeez, Kid, you ok?" She heard Logan's deep voice ask. She turned around quickly to look at him. There must've been something in her eyes or a look on her face because Logan quickly dropped to her side and grabbed both of her shoulders. "Rogue, what-" She swatted his hands away and said automatically, "I'm fine." It was a moment of silence before he dropped his hands and let out a sigh. "Yeah, sorry Kid. I wouldn't trust me either."

"That's not-"

"it's ok. I understand, Kid. I know…you know." Rogue remained silent. He sat back on his butt and stared at her, waiting. She sat back on hers and listened. "I never meant to blame you, Rogue. I was just…so lost without Jean here. I loved her and she was always there, always in reach and suddenly…she wasn't. She just had to save all of us. She loved us too much to let us die and her decision was already done and already made. No one could stop her. I loved her so much, I had to blame someone else other than her. I didn't want for it to be you, Kid. I wanted it to be me, but I was a coward and didn't want to blame myself. That's not an excuse, I just…I just wanted you to know how I felt." he stopped and looked at her. She reached out with her gloved hand and wrapped it loosely around his. He stared at their conjoined hands before looking up at her. "Can I take this as a reprieve?" he asked, hope in his eyes. She shrugged. "An apology doesn't make up for months and months of neglect, Logan. I need…I need time." He nodded and stood up, letting her hand drop. He waited for her to join him before he spoke. "Let me make it my life's goal for the upcoming months to show you how truly sorry I am. Ah-" he began, stopping her from shaking her head, "I want to do this for me. I…I missed you, Kid."

She laughed and bumped her hip against his. "Time, Logan."

"I seem to have a lot of that lately." He said, chuckling. She began walking away and smiled when he jogged up to her side to join her. "Why did you come in here?"

"One-eyed was worried about you and sent me back in when the Professor called for him."

"So you didn't come by choice?"

"I told you-" He stopped when the smirk crossed her lips. "Now wait, I was worried about you too, I just-"

"Strike one, Logan."

"Now wait, I didn't need one-eyed telling me to come check on you to be he main reason I came back…" his voice and her laughed trailed off as the danger room doors slid shut. None of them noticed the small burned mark of a bird on the floor.

X

"Why would you keep swimming in that lake? It's creepy…" Mark trailed off as Beth splashed in, ignoring his words. "Beth, mom and dad said no swimming in the lake."

"Oh, stop being such a spoilsport Mark. What mom and dad don't know won't hurt them." Mark watched as his 12 year old sister sank deeper into the shimmering water of Alkali Lake. He wasn't being a spoilsport. He had heard the stories about the "strange" things happening in the lake, and he didn't take comfort in the fact that his little sister was now wading in it. His family had lived near the lake 10 out of the15 years of his life and this was the first year that he heard stories. Ever since the stupid dam broke, weird things kept happening as the months progressed. It started out small; glitches in the TV or weird sounds from the radios. Lately, though, the events were becoming more extreme…and more unnerving. Ghastly screams, the temperature of the water heating up every so often…

Just 3 weeks ago some fishermen were found dead. One burned to death and the other wrapped around a tree. He didn't want to tell his parents about the strange figure he saw on the edge sometimes. They thought his suspicions were creepy enough.

"Beth, be careful!" he shouted as his sister waded in deeper. He heard her laugh and shout something. "What?" he yelled, stepping closer. His bare toe touch the edge of the water and he jumped back at how warm it was. He felt his heart begin to beat faster for no reason.. "Beth! Get out of there!" he shouted, walking in knee deep so that he could be heard. "Beth!" he shouted her name. He heard her laugh and ask, "What? Scared of the water?"

"Beth, get back in here…now?" he saw her blonde head bob as she turned to look at him. Something in his voice and on his face must've scared her because her smile faltered and she asked, "Mark?"

"Beth, get back here now!" he watched as she began swimming back in and let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He sucked it in for a scream when he saw her head disappear beneath the surface. "BETH?" He shouted before diving in. He saw her blonde hair…and something red. He swam towards his sister's body before stopping short, being blocked by some sort of shield. He yelled when it pressed on top of him, sending him in deeper and deeper. He let out a scream and pushed back, feeling the barrier lift and eventually break. He hadn't done it with his hands though…he'd done it with his mind?

He felt his body being lifted up before he was flung violently out of the water. He sputtered and rolled, landing on his side and hissing out the pain. He only gave himself a moment though, before he turned and watched for his sister. He watched in horror as the water raised and folded in on itself. He let out another scream at the women with the black eyes before the water grew and swallowed them both.

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	16. Fight Back

"A mutant?" Ororo asked, sitting down in the chair opposite of Charles, placing her steaming cup of team in her lap. He nodded. "Cerebro picked him up about a month ago. It seems he has…telepathic tendencies." Ororo glanced quickly at the professor. "Why wait a month, Charles?"

"He's been missing since that time. His parents found him unconscious on the shore of Alkali Lake-"

"Alkali?" she asked, alarmed. Charles nodded. "Charles, you don't…" She let the question trail off. He shook his head. "This mutant is a young boy. Jean is gone, Ororo. I have made my peace with that. The question is, why has the boy been missing?" Ororo shook her head. "He just surfaced? Any clue to where he's been?"

"He hasn't spoken since they found him." Ororo paused a moment before speaking. "What was he doing by the lake, Charles?" The Professor sent a grave look to his longest friend. "His sister went missing in it. Drowned, it seemed." Ororo shook her head again. "Poor child…but Charles, who are you sending to retrieve the boy?" Charles was the one to shake his head this time. "What do you mean?"

"Charles…it is Alkali lake…"

"We'll send those who are ready, Ororo." The women stared at the man for a moment before nodding. She raised her cup to her lips and blew on the steam before taking a sip. "Let's hope they are ready, Charles. Let's hope."

X

She laughed and wiped the sweat off of her brow as Logan let out yet another curse, cradling his jaw. He went for her again and she ducked as his arm came around to grab her. She reached out her leg and turned, catching his legs in hers and jerked, sending him flat on his back. She couldn't stop smiling as she bent to hold out her hand to help him up. "I should probably be grateful, right?" she asked, brushing off her butt. "For?"

"For not being dead. You're holding back." She narrowed her eyes, glancing from one man to the next. Scott shrugged while Logan let out a gruff laugh. "Unless you want us to kill you, yes , we are holding back." She rolled her eyes and tightened her gloves. "Alright, one more time Logan." He rolled his shoulders and she heard the _shing_ as his metal claws retracted. "You ready to use your powers?" he asked, giving her a look. She shrugged and shook her hands. "As ready as I'll ever be." The words weren't even out of her mouth before Wolverine came at her. "Shit." She muttered and spun, dodging a swipe. She didn't even have to close her eyes to draw out Cyclops' powers but instead just summoned them. The beams shot out, flying towards Wolverine before he deflected it with his claws.

She shut them off, knowing they were useless and dug for another power to use against him. He swiped at her again and she flipped back, positioning her feet to kick him right in the face. She felt them hit with satisfaction but let out a grunt when his hands grabbed her ankles. She twisted and fell, dragging him down with her. They both crashed to the floor and she got her bearings back quick enough to kick him, loosening his grip on her ankles. She twisted one last time, whispering "whoosh" as she animated a slice across his neck. He was dead. She scrambled back only to let out a shriek when she felt someone grab her shoulders. She dropped back again, throwing Cyclops off balance. He stumbled, still gripping her shoulders, and she grabbed his arms, twisting. She brought him down next to her and successfully landed a kick to his chest. She heard as his breath came out in a whoosh and she took the chance to roll on top of him, pinning him to the ground with her legs on either side of his stomach. She bent over and imitated a slice across his neck. "swoosh." she whispered, smiling. "Swoosh." he repeated, and she felt her heart stutter when he smiled at her. A slow sweet smile that seemed to find it's way directly to her heart.

The moment was interrupted when she heard Wolverine let out a groan. She sent Cyclops another smile before she got off of him, holding onto the moment a second longer. She stood up and turned to look at Wolverine and couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. "What?"

"Where did that come from?"

"You've been literally kicking my ass for the last month. You think I didn't learn anything?" she asked, her voice teasing as he walked over to her. He shook his head, the smile on his face large. "I gotta say Kid, having someone kick my butt never felt so good, but…" he let the sentence trail off as he bent low, his leg out so fast it was a blur. She felt her legs fly out from underneath her, heard Cyclops' strangled laugh and found herself staring at the danger room ceiling, cursing up a storm. "Never let your guard down." Wolverine finished, bending over her. "yeah?" she asked. He nodded. "ok." and quick as a ninja, she spun and caught both Wolverine and Cyclops behind the legs, sending them flying only to land on their backs right next to her. "Duly noted." she breathed, getting her air back. Both men let out groans and Cyclops said, "I think we're done for today. I am sore enough."

"yeah, one-eyed, she kicked your ass worse than mine."

"She only got me down a couple more times then you." Wolverine scoffed. "Try 10." Rogue rolled her eyes as the men eased themselves into another "healthy" argument. She sat up, took her ponytail out and unzipped her gloves, tugging them off her hands before reaching behind her neck to rub the familiar ache there. Training was killing her muscles, but she felt the difference every day. She was stronger. Faster on her feet. She could spar with Logan for a good 30 minutes without going down. She finally felt…useful.

Plus, the time spent with just the three of them was…nice. Her Scott got closer and slowly, her and Logan built back their relationship. Sure, it wasn't going to be the way it was before, but it could get close to it. They could get over this, they could get over anything. She couldn't love him anymore, though, not like she used to. She turned her head to look at Scott and felt a smile tug it's way onto her face. No, she loved someone else now. Someone more precious.

"…I can fight with the best of them, Logan, I didn't want to hurt her."

"Guys-"

"Bull, you know she kicked your ass cause she's better than you."

"Guys, come on-"

"What, like she kicked yours? If I remember correctly, you were on the ground a lot too."

"Guys, seriously-"

"That's where this whole thing started, bub. Yes, she did kick me to the ground, but she kicked yours more.""HEY!" She shouted, catching their attention. She felt the whoosh of wind as it glinded through her hair before pulsating at the men. "Whoa…" she murmured, watching it as it teased the two men. She laughed. "cool." Whoever though Ororo's power would be so much fun. The two men sent her the same look. "I was just gonna tell you to relax. It's ok to be beat by a girl." she stood up and began to make her way towards the doors. She heard them both scramble to their feet before they appeared beside her.

"We don't get beat by girls-"

"Yeah, we just take it easy on them-"

"Right." She laughed and saw them smirk as she bent to open the door. The doors slid open and her smile faded when The Professor's face. All their smiles faded as the Professor's stared at them. He looked at each of them before speaking, "You're needed."

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Thanks for the support guys! Chapters should be coming faster now. :3


	17. Suit Up

"A telepath?" Scott asked, glancing over at the Professor from his perch on the arm of the chair Rogue was sitting in. The Professor nodded, looking at the X-men gathered in his office. "He's strong, and it's caught the eye of Magneto-""Of course." Kitty scoffed, rolling her eyes. Charles sent her an amusing glance before continuing. "His powers surfaced about a week a

go, after he was found off the shore of the lake. He has somehow heard about this school and called me, asking for help."

"He just called out of nowhere?" Logan asked, resting his hand on the top of Rogue's chair. Charles nodded again.

"Don't you find that a bit…suspicious? How does this kid know about the school?"

"Well, it's not exactly a secret, Logan, that this school is for gifted youngsters." Charles answered, turning towards the man. "Yeah, but it's not exactly publicized that this school is for mutants." Logan said, stepping forward. "True, Logan, but regardless of the fact. He's a mutant and he needs our help."

"When do we leave?" Bobby asked, looking up from his lap. "Tonight. It takes…" Rogue tuned the Professor out as he continued talking. She'd been quiet since he began talking. She didn't know why, but she had a bad feeling about this mission. It might've been the grim look on the Professor's face or the fact that Ororo seemed too quiet also, but something was off. There was something The Professor wasn't telling them. And she intended to find out what it was.

"…after we pick up the boy, Magneto will surely be after us. So, take caution." He nodded, signaling the end of the meeting. Everyone began to move, shifting, getting ready to leave the room.

"Where are we going?" Rogue asked, her voice small, but her hazel gaze unwavering from the old man's face. She saw the flicker of remorse in his eyes before he controlled it enough. Everyone stopped moving and Scott bent to look at her. "Rogue-" he began to murmur, but she cut him off, still gazing at The Professor. "Where are we going?" she asked again. She watched as Charles steepled his fingers to rest his chin on them.

"Alkali." he answered, his eyes remaining on hers. Hers widened. She saw Scott stiffen and heard the leather squeak under Logan's grip. "Lake?" she heard Scott ask, and the Professor nodded. "You didn't think it was important to mention this to us before, Wheels?" Logan growled. "I thought you guys were mature enough to handle it." Charles said, sending Logan a stern look. "Professor, I think…" Kitty's voice trailed off as the arguments around Rogue continued. Arguments to why they should and shouldn't go to Alkali. Arguments to what they lost, what they haven't found or what they were afraid to discover. No one noticed Rogue, pale and suddenly sick with fear. No one noticed how she shook or how her eyes seemed to dilate until the dark green covered the whites.

She couldn't go to Alkali. The fear rolled in her stomach and for a second, she thought she would be completely and utterly sick. She gripped the armrests of the chair to stop herself from being pulled under, into a different mind, but knew it was useless. No one noticed when she fell back slowly into the chair, unconscious.

She stared at the front of the mansion, squinting against the glare of the sun. She turned and saw her, the familiar redhead that'd been with her every night since the freak accident with her powers. During the past month, Rogue had only seen Jean maybe once a week. It was always the same scenario. Jean never spoke. Well, that was a lie. She spoke, she just didn't speak more than two words. It always seemed like something was holding her back from doing so.

Rogue stared at Jean, waiting. Waiting for the familiar scene to replay in her mind again. Waiting for the request for help, the scream and the dizzying sensation as she was dropped from her mind. When Jean remained silent, Rogue raised an eyebrow. "What? Can't say anything now?" Jean smiled, a sad slumberous smile that had Rogue regretting having asked the hateful question. Rogue sat down on her butt and stared up at Jean. "You know you have to eventually talk, or else, these little visits are useless. I can't be the one carrying on the conversation all the time and I really hate the sound of my own voice-"

"No." Jean's small mouth moved. Rogue jerked, looking back up at her. "No?"

"No." Jean repeated. "No what? No I won't say anymore? No I can't talk? No, I have to keep up the conversation by myself? No what?"

Jean raised a slim finger to her lips and made a shushing motion. "No talking?" Rogue asked. Jean shook her head. "NO WHAT?" Rogue yelled and watched while Jean's eyes became wide. The redhead opened her mouth but Rogue felt thrown back by something. She jerked again and this time, it took her out of Jean's mind. Her eyes shot open, the dark hazel luminous for a moment. She blinked and both the hazel and light disappeared, her brown eyes instead tired and empty. "Rogue?" someone's voice asked and she turned, unaware that everyone in the room was now watching her. "Hmm?" she asked, Scott's face etched with worry. "Are you alright?" He asked, sliding down to sit next to her on the big chair. She felt Logan right behind her and Ororo was to his other side. Bobby and Kitty were on the other side of the room, watching her warily, while Piotr stood off to the side, still as a statue except for his face which was bunched with worry. The Professor was looking at her strangely, though.

"Rogue?" Scott asked again and she turned back towards him. "hmm?" She asked and his brows furrowed together. "Hey Kid, what just happened to you?" Logan asked in a gentle voice, nudging the side of her head gently. "What-"

"Gentlemen, ladies, will you please leave me and Rogue alone to talk?" the Professor interrupted her. She turned to stare at him and missed the worried look that conspired between Scott and Logan. Everyone nodded, and began to disperse, Scott giving her hand a gentle squeeze before he left.

When they were alone, Rogue turned back towards the Professor and waited. It was a moment of silence for the old man spoke. "Rogue…what is happening to you?" She remained silent, staring at him with solemn eyes. "Rogue-"

"My powers are growing." She said simply, holding her breath. She was terrified of what he would ask her. Of what she would have to say.

"How?" he asked and she shrugged. She stood up off the couch and walked around the room, staring at the endless rows of books before turning back towards the Professor. "It would be a lot easier if I showed you." She told him, her hand worrying the small binder of a book. He splayed his hands, waiting. She swallowed, suddenly nervous. She closed hers eyes and opened the door to Colossus's power. No sooner had she thought about it then she felt the cold metal slide over her body. She continued down the short mental hall, opening doors. She felt the bright sting beneath her eyes and opened them, holding back the red beam so that it just made her hazel eyes glow red. She felt the ice coat her hands while fire spurted from her wrists, dancing around her body. She felt the wind pick up in the room before it began thundering outside. She watched all this, her eyes glued to the Professor, to his every move and look. After a moment, she began closing doors. First Colossus', then Pyro's, then Iceman's, then Storm's and last Cyclops'.

When things died down, she sat heavily in the leather chair, letting out a breath as she rubbed her aching forehead. The headache was back. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, gripping her temples. Almost a month and the damn headache was back. She kept massaging small circles into her temples, hoping they would cease the pain a bit.

It took her a moment to realize that the Professor had yet to say anything. She opened her eyes slowly, the green wary as she stared at him. "Well?" she asked, when she couldn't take the silence any longer. The expression on the Professor's face had not changed any at all. It kinda unnerved her. "Well?" she asked again, sitting up and barely hiding the wince from the pain the jostling gave her.

"How long?"

"About a month and a half." She answered. He nodded, considering. "That would explain…a lot." He murmured, staring. "Professor…?" He caught himself and gave her an easy smile. "I assume that is why the danger room has had so much usage these last few weeks." he asked and she laughed despite herself. "Rogue…are you sure you're ready for this? For Alkali? You're powers are growing considerably and I don't want you to harm yourself by using them. I want you to be sure you're in total and complete control of them." She considered a moment before answering. "I think…I am as ready as I'll ever be."

"Rogue, If Magneto even catches a hint about this-"

"I'll handle him." She smiled, but felt the cold ball of dread begin to form in her stomach. She couldn't go to Alkali lake…could she? The Professor continued staring at her another moment before he nodded. "Suit up."


	18. Fight at Alkali Lake

Seeing the lake in her mind and seeing it again in real life were two different things. Everything that she remembered about that day came rushing back to her when the jet rounded the Mountains and the lake came into view. That stupid, calm and idiotic lake. She let out a breath she realized she hadn't been holding and turned to look at everyone else. Logan refused to look out the window at the lake and everyone else seemed to be following suit. The only one who wasn't was Scott. His eyes were on the lake and she saw the muscles of them moving frantically over it's still surface, searching for a trace of Jean.

She closed her eyes and fought back the headache and the hurt. She was an idiot, right? Maybe that had been why she dreaded coming back to the lake. Because Scott still had hope that Jean was alive. She chastised herself. Of course. Six months of Scott and Rogue didn't erase years of Jean and Scott. She loved him…but that didn't necessarily mean that he loved her. She shook her head and turned away from him, glad she had chosen to sit next to Ororo.

They landed and for a hushed moment, no one moved or spoke. Silence reigned and for a second, memories flashed and converged. The Professor was the first to speak and move. He gave out orders and everyone followed, more robotic then anything. Two people were to stay on the Jet (Iceman and Shadowcat) while the others deplaned. Next, two would be left to scope for Magneto (Colossus and Wolverine) while two more went with The Professor to pick up the boy (Cyclops and Storm.) Rogue was pretty sure she had gotten the short end of the stick when she was stuck guarding the outer boundaries of the lake, checking for anything suspicious. No action and nothing to do but stand there and contemplate her life.

"I was ready for a lot more." She muttered to herself, kicking a rock into the trees. "He didn't think I was ready. Didn't think I was able to control my powers. What a crock of bull." she said viciously, kicking another rock violently into the trees. She blamed her sour mood on the task she was assigned, but deep in her mind she knew the bitterness was there because of Scott. Because of what he still felt for Jean. She was bitter because Jean, even though she was dead, could still hold something over all of them. Even Rogue.

She kicked another rock and cursed when her toe stubbed, the rock actually being a bigger part of something else. She bent to examine it and saw it was the knob of something metal. She swept some of the dirt away and could make out a door. With a jolt she realized that it was one of the many doors that had housed the children kidnapped from the mansion almost 2 years ago. She sat back on her heels. '"I am so sorry." She whispered, feeling wetness behind her eyes. The trees seemed to bend, listening to her while the wind picked up, teasing her to say more. The sun shone brighter, warming her face and for a moment she felt relaxed. "I am sorry I couldn't save you, Jean. I really am." She whispered, leaning forward to bow on the ground.

A scream tore her from her stance and had her turning her head as a car came careening over the trees, fire engulfing it's body. She flipped and rolled, the car missing her by a couple of feet. Something came in static over her headset and she heard Magneto's name along with some colorful words. "Find Rogue." Scott's voice came over garbled and another blast set her teeth rocking. She reached up to click on the headset, screamed "on my way" and took off. She skidded to a halt when she felt the ground shake, jarring her senses and throwing her off balance. She feel and caught herself just as Kitty's voice flowed through the mic. "They got a new mutant! Idiot calls himself Avalanche! I can't see him!" There was a scream and the mic crackled. "Shit." Rogue muttered, bolting up. Another tremor shook the ground and without anymore patience, she mentally opened the door to Storm's powers. She raised herself off the ground, flying as the winds whipped around her. Higher and higher she went till she cleared the trees and could see the scene below her.

Magneto was definitely here. Her powers recognized his and she couldn't mistake the billows of smoke emanating from the fires below. She saw her comrades fumble around, trying to right themselves as Avalanche let out another jolt. Well, she could stop him.

She flew towards him and when she was directly over his head, she dropped from her airborne position. It was about 6 scary, freefalling, mind-numbing seconds later when she landed on top of him, rolling as they both hit the ground. She tugged off her gloves and reached for his bare face. She felt the pull and managed to successfully put a cap onto his personality as it tried to take over. Another door was added to the mental hallway with the shiney nameplate of 'Avalanche'. She let go of the unconscious boy and shouted over the mic "He's out."

She let out a shriek when she was tackled from behind, a blur of blue and red. "Mystique" she grunted, trying to throw the blue animal off. She felt a hard slap to her face and bucked, throwing Mystique off of her. She turned to run, but the shadow flying towards her had her ducking, dodging Mystique as her arms tried to go around her neck. She flipped, landing two good solid kicks on Mystique's face and knew it would only momentarily throw her off. She only needed a moment. Rogue landed on her hands and spun, catching Mystique's legs and throwing them out from under her. The graceful bitch flipped and caught herself before she could fall on the ground. "Damn." she muttered, rolling as a blue leg came down on her. There, that was her moment. She rolled back and grabbed the blue ankle and held on long enough to feel the pull.

She watched as another wooden door appeared, neatly labeled Mystique, in her mental hallway. She rolled out from under the blue body and scrambled up, fighting drowsiness as she began to run back towards the Jet. It loomed in front of her, the hatch open. She saw a boy, probably 14 or 15, standing in the doorway, guarded by Shadowcat, Piotr and The Professor. Everyone else was out of the Jet, fighting. She started running faster, willing her legs to pump harder so that she could help. "Back to jet! The boy is on! Now! Now! NOW!" Scott shouted and she would've rolled her eyes about her bruised eardrums if he hadn't been so serious. She veered, making her way back to the Jet instead of the scene of battle. A curse over the mic had her turning around yards from entering the plane. Bobby was hurt, pinned under what seemed light a large log. Pyro stood a few feet away from him, walking slowly towards Iceman with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. "Shoot" Rogue muttered, turning around to assist him. She stopped when a small body whooshed past hers. "Bobby!" Shadowcat screamed, abandoning her post as she ran towards Bobby. "Kitty!" Rogue screamed, but was a little too late.

As fast as a bullet, something white flashed and caught Kitty by the waist and zoomed off. "So fast." Rogue muttered, trying to find the white flash. "Get the boy!" a deep voice bellowed. A voice she didn't recognize. She turned and with wide eyes watched as a large man came barreling towards the Jet. A _very_ large man.

This was an ambush. Most definitively a damn ambush. Magneto had more mutants on his side then The Professor had brought with him. They were outnumbered.

A growl brought her head whipping around in time to see Wolverine jumping out of the trees, landing on top of the large man. The man turned, yelling, as he tried to throw Wolverine off. She was watching it closely enough to see the white flash again. Without thinking about it, she felt Cyclops' optic blasts leave her eyes. She clipped the white flash and watched as the white haired boy turned to stare at her. She shook her head and felt the sting fade and turned to look back at the large man.

She broke into a run and before she knew it she jumped, landing on top of the ginormous man. Another door, another name. The Blob. She turned and grabbed for the white haired boy, catching him off-guard enough to take his power. Another door. Quicksilver.

She dropped both unconscious bodies and looked up, her green eyes searching for her teammates. Wolverine was dealing with Sabertooth and Cyclops was dealing with the Toad. That's when she saw Shadowcat and Iceman. She ran, tapping into Quicksilver's powers without even thinking about it much. She felt Colossus's metal coat her body for protection and in a moment had Iceman out from under the log using the Blob's strength. "What the-" the air rushed out of his lungs as Rogue ran back to the Jet, deposited him, and ran back for Shadowcat. She saw the surprised look on Pyro's face when she snatched Kitty out of his arms, but didn't stay to laugh about it. She ran back and dumped Kitty on the Jet before jumping off. She still had 3 of her teammates out there.

She saw as The Toad was finally able to wrap his sticky tongue around Cyclops' visor. It pulled, and the visor loosened. "Cyclops!" she shouted and tapped into Storm's powers as her eyes clouded over white. A single lightening bolt cracked through the sky and hit The Toad. She dipped into Iceman's and Quicksilver's powers as she formed a sharp sheet of glass and threw it to quickly cut the tongue before Cyclops was hit. She ran, shoving the visors back on before Cyclops could cause any damage. She grabbed his face with a gloved hand. "Back to the Jet!" She shouted and waited for him before she followed.

She saw Wolverine running, trying to get back on the Jet. She hadn't realized her mic had still been on. She ran faster, grabbing onto Cyclops' hand and dragging him with her. They reached the door and she literally threw him on and jumped the rest of the way "Close it! Close the door!" She shouted but felt the pull of metal already. The Jet lifted a few feet off the ground only to be slammed back down. Rogue stumbled and fell, rolling down the ramp before she was stopped violently by mother earth. "Ouch." she muttered, her eyes blurry as she stared at the jet. She heard a _tsk tsk tsk_ before a chilling voice said, "It couldn't have been a useful mutant that rolled off?" She let out a cry as he grabbed her by the back of the neck and lifted her to face him. "Magneto" she grunted slapping weakly as his hands. "My living disappointment." he snarled before he threw her. She rolled, coughing as pain radiated through her body. "Give it up Magneto, you have no one left!" She heard Wolverine shout, his eyes on her.

She stayed on the ground let out a groan. Her body felt so heavy. Too many personalities, too many powers. She had tried to do too much at one time and she was feeling it. She needed to stay conscious. If she passed out, who knew where she would wake up.

Magneto looked around. "You think these are the only mutants I have with me? Foolish young boy. I have more. They're all waiting for my command. I'll get that telepath today, whether I do it myself or another mutant does. Don't you see? You walked into a trap. A setup, if you will. Oh Charles, you always thought that you could help people. Always trying to find the best in them. That boy," He pointed at the telepath on the plane, "is powerful. He's meant to fight _with_ us, not _against_ us. He's fighting for the mutant cause!"

"We are fighting for the mutant cause Eric!" Charles shouted. She saw in her mind's eyes as they struggled to get the plane started. Something was blocking the controls, and she had a feeling that it was one of the mutants in the area. "You are fighting for the humans! I will get that boy, Charles, I will get that boy!" Magneto shouted and suddenly the Jet lifted only to crash down again. Through her mic, she heard Kitty shout for someone to close the door. Someone else shouted that Rogue was still out there. The rest was a jumbled mess as she started to focus. She needed to stop the mutant rampage. She saw them in the treelines, closing in on them. She focused harder, opening the door to the Leech. She mixed it was the winds and speed of Storm and Quicksilver and with a scream, felt as the concoction spread from her body. She opened her tired green eyes to watch as the mutants fell back, thrown off by the barrier she had created from the mix.

She let out a groan and doubled over when the pain in her body increased, the headache pounding like crazy behind her eyes. "What are you doing!" she heard Magneto shout and she raised her head to see his brilliant blue eyes watching her. "stopping you." She whispered from her crouched position. "PYRO!" Magneto shouted and she saw the young boy stand-up. She hadn't hit him. Her targets had been the mutants in the treelines. "Shit" she muttered and saw the hesitation in John before the contraption in his arms lighted. Fire seeped into his palms and flew past Magneto, heading straight for her. Her eyes widened and the red beams shot out, circling the flames. She threw open Pyro's door and felt the sting of the flames so close to her face before she contorted them, bending them to her will. Cyclops' red beams encircled the red flames and Rogue was dazzled enough to watch to reach out to touch them. Instead, her green eyes flickered up and the balls of fire/beams went flying straight at Pyro.

He shouted as they hit him, his body flying in the air before landing in a cloud of dust. She let out a scream as the pain racked her body and wanted to puke from the dizziness. She heard clapping and lifted her head weakly to stare at Magneto. "Well, done my child. Well done. You'll make an excellent addition to our team."

"Kiss ass."

"Now now. You can fight for us. Humans don't understand us. Join me." he whispered the last part and she would've laughed if she had the energy. "Go to hell." She whispered before the red beams flew out of her eyes, catching Magneto off guard and clipping his shoulder. He went down and Rogue attempted to get up to try get back on the Jet. She rolled over to all fours and reached one hand forward. She fell into a crumpled mess, the move taxing her body. She heard through her headset as someone screamed for her to get up. Someone else screamed that the damn jet still wouldn't start. She closed her eyes and creaked open the door to Magneto's powers. She felt the hum of the response of the metals gears as she shifted the jet, starting it. She raised it up, feeling as the fans began moving and the engine took the jet into the air. Someone was yelling into the mic and she made out some of it. Something about not leaving someone behind…

She heard a _poof_ and felt someone's arms wrapped around her. She passed out before she heard the second _poof._


	19. Nightcrawler's Angel

_Nightcrawler._

She stood staring at the blue door, the nameplate confusing her. Nightcrawler. What an odd name for a mutant. Well, actually, she guessed it wasn't. How do you classify a strange name for a mutant? Why the hell did she keep getting the color blue stuck in her head? How long has she been laying there? Was anyone coming for her? She tried to open her eyes and moaned against the splitting headache. She thought she moaned…but she didn't hear anything. Oh god…was she dead? She tried to lift her hand to feel for her own body, but found it heavy and useless. _Crap._ Maybe she was dead.

"You should not have brought her here."

"She vas hurt, vhat vas I supposed to do?"

"She had people waiting for her-"

"Yeah, zey seem to be doing very well."

"Kurt, she could be dangerous-"

"I'll say." he muttered, staring at the white haired girl laying limp on their sofa. It had already been 3 days and she still did not stir. It was unnerving him. Any second he expected the doors to be kicked down and her friends to be tearing limbs looking for her. But, nothing. When he had saved her from that field, it had been complete and utter instinct. If a person is trying to keep themselves on the down low, jumping out and saving mutants was not one way to do it.

But, he had been sure no one saw him. Except for blue smoke, he never usually left anything else behind. Or so, he hoped. "Did you see her out on that field? Took down twenty of them." Warren muttered, flexing his wings. "I saw her, zank you. Took down zhat man, too." The blue man said, nodding at the girl. "His name is Eric, Kurt." Warren said, staring at the man who had become his friend since he left…his father. That man who thought there was something wrong with Warren because he had been born with white wings. Mutant or not, a family should stand together. "His name is Eric." Warren repeated, turning away from the two people.

"Magneto."

They both turned to stare at her. She hadn't realized she'd actually produced sound until she opened her brown eyes weakly to stare at the two men. She swallowed and spoke again. "His name is Magneto." She continued to stare at the two men as they did the same to her. One was blue and she assumed he was Nightcrawler. That would explain the blue door in her mental hallway. The other one…well, he was a looker. The whole blonde hair and blue eyes bombshell. The angular face and the body. Definitely a looker. He seemed familiar to her. Something about money and power….it nagged at her memory. Why was this kid so familiar…?

"You can talk?" The cute one asked, looking strangely at her. She turned away from them and swallowed. "Obviously" she muttered, trying to sit up. She got about halfway up before she fell back in pain. "Son of a bitch." she murmured as the men dived for her. "You've been out cold for 3 days and you think you can sit up?" The cute one asked, alarmed, gripping her arm to tug her back down. She tugged her arm out of his grip and managed to painfully get up. She gripped her sides and turned, biting back the groan when her body protested. "It's happened before, I just need…rest." she said, rubbing her aching temples. "You've had enough of zhat." The blue one murmured, his yellow eyes assessing her. "How long did you say I was out for?"

"3 days." the blonde one said, sitting back on his heels. "Figures." she murmured, trying to stand up. She stumbled and quick as a fox, the blonde one stood up and caught her. _Damn_ was all she could think as his hand came in contact with her bare arm. She pushed at him, but not before she felt the pull, the pain and the onslaught of personalities. She was too weak to fight him and let it take over.

Warren Worthington the III. That would explain why she thought he was familiar. His father must've been one of the most powerful men in New York. Now that she thought about it, his son would've been in the news a lot as the next successor. She wondered if his dad knew about his son, the mutant with wings. The feelings running inside her proved that his dad wasn't an idiot…and had tried to get him to take the cure. The cure that Rogue thought hadn't existed. She shook her head, a weak fight against the pain.

She felt something slicing along her back and fought to control it. She needed to make a room for this man too. For the Angel.

She pictured the hallway and fought to create a door. It was a moment later when the misshapen wooden door appeared. She slapped Angel on it and fought to shove him in there, groaning at the effort. She opened her eyes, the green being swallowed up as her pupils dilated. Nightcrawler watched, amazed. This girl was…different. He turned to stare at his friend, knocked out on the floor and turned back to stare at the white haired girl standing there, fighting something. Wings began to sprout out of her back and he watched, mesmerized, as they disappeared back inside her body.

It was a full five minutes before the girl moved again, blinking her hazel eyes and staring around the room, confused. She turned to stare at him and he blinked, so sure that her hazel eyes had been a dark brown before. "What?" she asked, visibly swallowing. He shook his head. "Vhat…vas zhat?" he asked, nodding towards Warren on the floor. She turned and her eyes widened. "Damn, I was wishing that actually didn't happen." he heard her whisper. "Vill he be…alvight?" Kurt asked, watching her warily. "He's gonna be fine. I didn't hold on long enough." she answered, slanting the blue man a look. "Hold on?"

"I steal other people's powers. They call me Rogue. You?"

"Nightcrawler."

"I've been meaning to ask about that-" She began, but stopped when he raised his hand. "You say you steal oder powers…vhat about mine?"

"Yours?"

"Yes, I dink…I touched you…" He hesitated. She nodded. "You did."

"Can you still…use mine?" he asked and she nodded again. "Can I see?" he asked and almost laughed at her alarmed look. "I just vant to see…vhat I look like." he told her, his yellow eyes unwavering. "Aren't you worried about your friend, uh, what's-his-name…"

"Warren, and no. You said so yourself vhat he'll be alvight. Can I see?" he asked again. "Right. Before I do…what exactly is your power?" she felt like an idiot for asking, but his power was still a mystery. Just because she had it, didn't mean she should just tap into it whenever she felt like it. "Ah." Nightcrawler said, leaning back, his blue smile friendly. "I can Teleport. I picture a place and _poof_, I am there." he stopped, not saying much more. "Right." She repeated, rolling her eyes. "Watch him." She commanded, nodding her head towards the Warren. Nightcrawler nodded.

She closed her eyes and in the hallway, found the blue door easily. "Ok, Nightcrawler, let's see what you got." she muttered before opening his door.

What had he said? All he had to do was picture a place and poof? She wondered if he felt the weird stinging course through his body every time he "poofed". Well…she was about to figure out. She opened her eyes slowly and stared around the room, waiting. "Vell?" Nightcrawler asked, looking at her. Strange…powers usually just happened once she pulled them out. She shrugged. "I don't know. Usually they just…happen." She replied, staring down at her hands. "You said you had to picture a place, right?" Nightcrawler nodded. "I don't get it. I am picturing Niagra Falls and-"

"Have you ever been to zhat place?"

"Niagra? No, I just wanted to go there since I was smaller-"

"You have to be at ze place first. You can't teleport if you don't know where you're going." The blue man muttered. "Right. Well, is there like, a distance factor?" she asked and felt her heart fall when he nodded. "I can't go zhat far. Only to certain meters."

"Alright. How about…I go to that corner of the room?" She closed her eyes and pictured it before he could answer. The stinging wracked her body and she heard a _poof _before she opened her eyes again. "Cool" she muttered, staring at the green smoke that was now fading from where she had been. "green!" Nightcrawler asked, alarmed.

She closed her eyes and pictured her old spot. She let out a laugh when she appeared in front of Nightcrawler, his shocked eyes staring at her. "That's fun." She said, smiling. "I leave zhat much smoke?" Nightcrawler asked, and despite herself, she laughed. She couldn't wait to show Scott and Logan and the Professor-

She stopped, her smile fading. How was she supposed to get back to them? She felt her heart sinking. No jet, no phone and she didn't have a clue where she was. "Damn." she muttered, staring at her feet in despair. "Vhat's wrong?" Nightcrawler asked, staring at her. She opened her mouth to speak but was stopped when Warren moaned. She turned to stare at him and for some odd reason felt the control on his power slip. She heard her suit rip as the wings grew and let out a scream when the pain ripped through her body.

"Rogue?" Nightcrawler screamed, trying to push the wings back in. "Hey!" Warren screamed, running towards her. He grabbed her bare arm and she let out a curse when she felt the pull. At the same time she felt Nightcrawler's power slide over her body, fighting to take over. She was still too weak to fight two personalities and decided Nightcrawler's would be much more useful. She felt the stinging sensation wrack her body before she pictured the mansion.

_Poof._

She let out a grown when she landed on her butt, the two men falling on top of her. The new appendages on her back protested as she shifted and she pushed at the two men to get off of her. "you're hurting my…wings?" she screamed, pushing harder as she tried to look at the white things. "Vhere are we?" she heard Nightcrawler ask, stumbling off of her. "I don't know. Help me get rid of these things!" she yelled, tugging at the white monsters. She bit back a scream when her back protested, sending pain sparks up her spine. "Damn, these things are pestering-" she cut herself off when Warren moaned. She reached and tugged him up, shaking him until his blue eyes blinked and looked at her. "Don't you learn your damn lesson! Don't touch me! Because of you, I teleported us somerwhere!"

"What?" he asked, groggily. She watched as he fought drowsiness from his eyes and shook him again. "Warren! I asked you, don't you ever learn your lesson! I could've killed you!" She saw when he cleared up, but it piqued her anger more when he asked again, "what?"

"Warren, Christ, pay attention!"

"Uh, Rogue-"

"Not now, Nightcrawler! Warren, why did you touch me again, you idiot!"

"Rogue-"

"Not now, Nightcrawler!"

"But, i dink you should tell dese guys who ve are." Nightcrawler muttered, tapping her on the shoulder. "What?" she asked, turning around. her eyes widened, staring at the sharps ends of Wolverine's claws. She heard the _shing_ as he declawed and heard Scott's strangled voice as he whispered, "Rogue?". She was at...the mansion?


	20. Welcome to The Mansion

"I thought you said it was impossible."

"Vhat?" Rogue rolled her eyes behind the backs of Logan and Scott as they made their way back from the Professor's office. After the initial shock of finding her tangled on the floor of the mansion with two guys, Logan and Scott brought them to see the Professor. The Professor accepted the two mutants without question, something Rogue was still a apprehensive about, and ordered Scott and Logan to show both guys their new rooms. Rogue followed along because she was supposed to be checked out by McCoy. She was avoiding that at all costs.

"I said, I thought you said long distances are impossible for you to teleport to."

"They are."

"Then how come I could come here?" She asked, looking quickly over at him while keeping her voice hushed. "Honestly, I don't know. You shouldn't ve able to."

"Would you guys stop whispering. It's making me nervous." Warren whispered, glancing over at the two. Rogue sent him a look. "Did you learn your lesson yet?" She whispered furiously, pointing at the two slits on her back for emphasis. Right now they were being covered by Warren's jacket, but she knew the slits were still there. "Would you relax? I learned my lesson ok. What are you guys whispering about?"

"Nothing-"

"My power-" Rogue and Nightcrawler began at the same time. Rogue had the unmistakable urge to reach out her hand and smack both men upside the head. "Don't worry about it." She muttered, glancing back up at Logan and Scott. They hadn't spoken a word to her. It made her nervous. Oh sure, they had nodded and spoken to her when the Professor had prompted it. But other than that, it was silence.

She didn't like it one bit.

"So, where are we staying?" Warren asked aloud, glancing around. "It's called Xavier's School for the Gifted." Scott answered, turning slightly so he could be heard. "A school? I think I've heard of this. Wasn't there something about this school on the news a lot last year for the existence of-"

"Mutants." Rogue murmured, remembering the raid all too well. Striker was a dead idiot for all she was concerned. "Right, mutants. Wasn't there another girl mutant here? I could've sworn she was a doctor or something. I met her a lot during meetings about advocates for mutants and-Ow , what?" Warren stopped and glanced over at Nightcrawler. He dropped his elbow from where he had jabbed it into Warren's side and jerked his head furiously over towards Scott. Warren glanced up and noticed the hard set of Scott's jaw from his profile. "Did I say something wrong?" He asked, glancing nervously at Rogue. She couldn't take her eyes off of Scott though.

It was odd. She thought he had forgotten about the good doctor. She thought he had been happy just being with her. What was it? A couple of months of Scott and Rogue didn't erase years of Jean and Scott. She was an idiot, right? Falling for a guy who was still stuck on his dead girlfriend. Figures. Her luck in life was rotten.

"Rogue?" Warren spoke her name, and she glanced up, her brown eyes connecting with his blue ones. "Um, just don't talk about Dr. Jean Grey around him." She whispered, smiling to ease the pain in her chest and the look on Warren's face. He nodded and let out a sigh. She kept walking, her head to floor and missed it when everyone stopped. She continued walking and let out a shriek when she crashed into Logan's back. She stumbled and watched as Scott reached out to catch her.

She felt arms wrap around her waist from behind and glanced over her shoulder to see Warren's face. "You alright?" he asked, his breath close to her ear. "Yeah." She mumbled, clearing her throat and straightening herself back up. "Thanks." She smiled at Warren and felt her heart lift a bit when he smiled at her back. "No problem."

Someone cleared their throat and brought them back to the scene. She looked up to see Logan looking at her strangely. She smiled quickly and refused to look at Scott. Logan cleared his throat again and pointed towards a door. "This is where you'll be sleeping, Kurt. Warren, you're next door." Both men nodded and Kurt went to open his door. Warren patted Rogue's shoulder before heading for his room. Both men disappeared inside their rooms and Rogue heard the click of locks. She let out a sigh and turned around, wondering which was the fastest way to get to her own.

"You going to see McCoy, kid?" Logan asked, and she turned to stare at him. "Why?"

"The Professor told you too."

"I don't need to see him, see?" She demonstrated by standing on one leg, then switching to the other, then touching her finger to her forehead and sticking out her tongue. She got a chuckle out of Logan with the last one. "Besides, all I needed was rest. We all know that." she muttered, turning away from both men. "Now, I just want to find my room, change my clothes and feel somewhat human again." She told them disdainfully, staring at her ruined suit and Warren's brown jacket. When everyone remained silent, she glanced back up and nodded. "well, then, see ya guys later." and she turned.

And none of them stopped her.

She walked down the stairs and waited for one of them to shout or offer to follow her. When silence reigned she continued walking, wondering what she did wrong.

X

When she got out of the shower, she almost felt human again. Dressed in her own clothes and smelling somewhat human made her feel better about her situation. Plus, the time it took for her to shower also gave her time to think about Logan and Scott. What had turned them away from her? Made them be silent and…distant. She couldn't really come up with much other then thinking that they were pissed because she had been gone for 3 days and suddenly popped up with two guys on top of her.

Assuming that they were jealous about other guys around her.

She shook her wet hair. Maybe that was thinking too highly of herself. The two hottest guys in the mansion jealous…for her?

She glanced over at Warren's coat, spread on her bed. Well, Logan and Scott weren't exactly the hottest guys in the mansion anymore. She shook her head again. That didn't matter. What mattered was finding out why Logan and Scott were acting the way they were. She glanced over at Warren's coat again, fighting his memories and his feelings as she did so. "Might as well return the jacket to him." she told herself out loud. She walked over, picked it up and smiled when she could smell him on it. She began walking to her door and said to herself, "Warren Worthington the third, you smell." She laughed and threw open her door. "I take offense to that." he smiled and she let out a curse. "Jesus Christ, Warren!" she dropped his jacket and alarmed, bent to pick it up. Their heads clashed when he did the same and both of them fell back on their butts, rubbing their heads. "Learn another lesson, Warren, no sneaking up on people." She muttered, fighting her headache. A normal headache this time. "Although, now I see why you couldn't learn your first lesson. Hardheaded as a rock." She muttered, glancing over at him. He was staring at her, smiling so wide she thought his mouth might split. "What?" She asked, smiling despite herself.

He shook his head. "You are the most interesting girl I've met to this day."

"Yeah, well, when most of the women you meet are society bimbos who are more concerned about Daddy's credit card then about the actual world, of course I am interesting. I mean, come on, Beth Anne Margaret Solano? Total ditz, I mean-" She cut herself off and slapped her hands over her mouth. She turned slowly to stare at Warren. He was looking her, his brows drawn together. "Did you know that because…?" the question trailed off, but she nodded, knowing what he was going to ask. He sat back and stared at her. "I am sorry. I usually don't do that, but I'm really weak and I can't fight personalities when I am weak and-"

"It's alright. Most people know a lot more because of who I am."

"Yeah, but that's completely different. What i so is an invasion of privacy-"

"Well, I guess you'll have to make it up to me with dinner then." he interrupted, smiling. Her mouth snapped close. What was _with _this guy?

"Um, what?"

"Dinner. You know, humans do it all the time." She made a point to look at the wings protruding from his back, and then at her ungloved hands. "Mutants eat dinner too." he muttered, standing up. She followed and it unnerved her now that she had to craned her neck to stare at his face. Before, when they were on the ground, they had been eye to eye. Now…not so much.

"So, what do you say?" He asked, smiling. "And we can skip the part about getting to know each other, especially since you know me so well."

She opened her mouth to reply, but stopped when she felt a gaze on her back. She turned slightly and saw Scott out of the corner of her eyes. She closed her mouth and felt her knees give out, either by the sight of him or what he might have heard. Warren dived to catch her, but this time Scott was faster. He ran, wrapping his bare hand around her bare wrist and tugged, bringing her to her feet.

She felt the pull and the pain, and she was too weak to fight him this time. His personality swamped hers and with a cry she knew why she was being avoided.

They were all scared of her. Every single mutant in the mansion was scared of her and her…powers.

* * *

Ok, a lot of you are probably wondering about Nightcrawler. While it's true that they met him in X2, it's one of the little tweaks i changed. I needed Nightcrawler's powers for Rogue, plus, i needed to bring Angel in too. I'm sorry if it ruins the story a bit, but i thought bringing Kurt in by saving Rogue again seemed apt. :D His coming in now fits a bit better with what i am intending to write as the story progresses.

review :3 3

and thanks to everyone that keeps reading! You guys fuel me! lol (-^^-)(-^^)(-^^-)(^^-)(-^^-)


	21. Somebody Save Me

She kept her eyes closed. There was not much else she could do against the onslaught of feelings and thoughts. Mostly Scott's, but some of them were others. Logan's and Bobby's were dominant, scaring her that she could also dredge feelings from people she hadn't touched. Most of it was muffled, but one feeling was clear.

Fear.

They were all scared of her.

Rogue.

The Untouchable.

Reality was a bitch. A horrible, backstabbing, unlovable son of a bitch. The very people she was trying to save were scared of her. She would've laughed if she thought that she wasn't going to cry immediately after it. Instead she remained sitting on the floor, the support the only real thing she was feeling. Scott had released her wrist and she heard him cursing up a storm on one side, while Warren was saying something to her on her other side.

She let out a sigh and opened her eyes, knowing she couldn't avoid it any longer. The green flashed before it faded, her hazel eyes assessing before she turned her head to stare at Warren, not being able to meet Scott's gaze. "I have to go." She stood up quickly and stumbled. She caught herself before either of them moved and walked quickly towards the stairs. "Rogue." She heard Scott say her name but kept walking, picking up her pace. "Rogue!" she heard both men shout but by now she was flying down the stairs. She needed to get away. She turned around when she heard footsteps following her, not paying attention anymore to the steps. She tripped and went sprawling.

She fell against someone hard and looked up alarmed. It was too late when she realized that he was gripping her bare wrists. She closed her eyes against wave after wave of Logan's emotions and thoughts. She pushed at him and stumbled, trying to walk away to somewhere…anywhere. She fought against the drowsiness as she pushed the large wooden doors open, bringing her to the outside.

That's when she started running.

It seemed almost natural, to have Quicksilver take over to take her farther. She felt his power coat her body and watched as the scenery faded to nothing but a blur. Soon, though, running wasn't even enough. Even before she thought about it, she felt the wings sprout from her body before she took to the air, the added speed making her a blur in the sky.

How do you deal with everyone you trusted, everyone you loved being scared of what you were? Of what you could become? Of what was inside you? Her powers were as much a part of her as a limb and people were scared of it. From what she picked up around the mansion, everyone was wondering what she was becoming. What powers she had. They wondered about when she had gotten so powerful. The only one who didn't shun her for it was the Professor, but that was a given. The Professor was always too nice. She didn't blame anyone for being scared of her.

She even feared her own powers.

She feared the extent of them and she feared what was inside her. She feared her secret…and she feared the outcome of it. The only thing that seriously pissed her off was how no one could say it to her face. No one was brave enough to tell her that they were scared of her. Not even Scott.

She scoffed as the wind sliced through her hair.

Especially Scott. And Logan. Both men avoided her like she was the plague. And all because she wanted to save them.

She stopped flapping her wings and hovered for a moment, contemplating just letting herself fall to her death. She was high enough and she was sure enough that no one would miss her. What would it feel like? Would there be pain? Would it be over quickly, or would she lay in agony? Was death her only option?

She turned in the air when she heard the unmistakable sound of a motorcycle engine. She glanced below her and felt her heartbeat slow down when she saw Scott there, staring up at her. She watched his mouth move, his lips forming her name before she heard the _poof_. She glanced back up, a little shocked. Nightcrawler floated there, staring at her with his yellow eyes. Warren held him, his white wings flapping in tune with hers. After a moment of silence, she spoke. "What?"

Kurt visibly swallowed before he spoke. "I know ve have only known each oder for a day, but…"

"But?" She prompted. She waited until Warren spoke. "but we know that this can't be the usual way you act." She scoffed and turned away from them. "Let's just say I understand why Magneto is the way he is." She turned to look down at Scott again. He had parked the bike and now stood there, just looking at her. "I understand what he means when he says they fear us. Why protect someone who fears you? Someone who doesn't understand what you're fighting for. What's the point of fighting for them?" She glanced back up at the two men.

"To make them understand." Warren whispered, his blue eyes pinning her hazel ones. "You have to fight too, to let them understand. Come on, Rogue, look at us. I have wings protruding out of my back and Kurt here is blue. At least…you get to look normal. If they're scared of you…then they just won't get to know you."

"Warren, the people I care for are scared of me as a mutant. They're scared of my powers. I tried to save them and they're terrified of me."

"How do you know dis?" Kurt asked, clinging onto Angel. She scoffed. "My powers were never this…powerful. I used to just be able too grab onto someone and steal their powers and their personalities _for a short time._ I never could summon the powers out or…still feel the personalities after a while. My powers are growing. I can feel all of them in my head, just sitting there, talking to me. Bobby, Logan, Ororo, Piotr…Scott. They're all terrified of what I am. How do I deal with that?" she ended it on a whisper. "How do I deal with it." she repeated, turning a bit. "Maybe there's more to the story then you know." Warren said, catching her attention again. She shook her head. "I can distinguish between fear and confusion, Warren. These guys…fear me."

"Rogue, these guys care about you. If they didn't they wouldn't have sent a team out to look for you." Warren whispered and she looked at him, puzzled. "Me, Kurt, Scott, Logan and Piotr are out here, looking for you. I understand you and I just met, but trust us. These guys…genuinely want to help you." She sniffed, feeling tears cloud over her eyes. "I can't forgive them. I can't easily say 'ok, sorry you were scared to death of me and my powers, but I forgive you.' I can't do that."

"Then don't. Just go back and make them understand."

"It's not that easy Warren."

"All things in life are never easy. If they were, anyone could accomplish it. Just go back and hear these guys out. Especially that Scott guy. He looked…torn, when you left."

"Hey, you're slipping dere, Warren." Kurt muttered, jostling a bit. "well, you just had to have that last burger before we left. I can barely lift you."

"I eat to stay healthy alvight?"

"Yeah right." Warren muttered, shifting the blue man. Rogue laughed despite herself. "I'll go back, it's not like I was running away. I just needed to…fly."

"I know what you mean." Warren murmured, smiling at her. "yah, me too." Kurt said, and shrieked when he slipped a bit. "Angel voy, ve careful!"

"Stop eating so much!" she laughed. "go on, go back to the mansion. I'll bum a ride with Scott."

"You sure?" Warren asked, staring at her. She nodded. "Go ahead." Warren nodded and tugged on Kurt. "Hey, zap us back."

"I am not a pilot, give me a moment." the blue man muttered. She heard the poof and waved at the blue smoke in front of her. She continued smiling, wondering how the hell these guys knew how to make her smile when she felt like crying. She glanced down and saw Scott was still there, watching her warily. She let out a sigh and using the wings, began to glide down slowly.

She touched the road with the toe of her boot first and gracefully came to a stop. No sooner had her second foot landed before she felt Scott move, fast as lightening. He had her in his arms quickly, hugging her so tightly she thought she might burst. "oh my god, Rogue." he whispered into her hair. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to touch you like that. I just-" he cut himself off, breathing her in.

Three days.

Three days he hadn't seen her and he was wracked with fear and guilt. Guilt that he couldn't save her and fear that he'd never see her again. He let out a shaky breath. But she was here, in his arms. He took comfort in that.

Her voice was so small, so weak, that he almost didn't hear her. But, what she said scared him to the core but angered him at the same time. "I am sorry I scare you, Scott." he slowly pulled her away to look at her, and in her eyes he saw pain and worry. "What?"

"You and Logan…you're all scared of me, right? Of what I've become?" She reached up to hug herself. "I feel it from all of you…every single one of you. Scott, you're scared-"

"for you. I am scared for you. Three days, Rogue, three days. We thought you were dead. We were scared _for_ you, not _of_ you." he saw hope flash in her eyes for a moment before she shrouded it and nodded. "For me." She repeated, her eyes haunted. She knew the truth, but was too tired to call him out on it. Instead, she nodded towards the bike. "Let's go home. I am…exhausted." She began to walk, making her way towards the bike before he spoke. "Rogue…what happened out there? On that field?" she turned around and glanced at him. "I saved you guys. I saved the ones I loved." She turned back around and continued walking.


	22. Hate and Fear

They went their separate ways when they reached the mansion. She left the motorcycle slowly, her body protesting, and didn't speak a word to Scott. She started walking and hoped…for something. Hoped for him to tell her why he was scared of her. Hoped for him to deny it at least. Hoped for him to accept her for who she was. She walked, waiting.

And he just let her leave.

She wondered if she had been fooling herself the past couple of months. Maybe he had been an escape from the harsh world, but she had loved him. Scott Summers had mattered to her.

And he was still scared of her and her powers.

How do you deal with that?

She glanced up and saw Logan watching them from the window. His gaze followed her and she heard the thoughts running through his head. It didn't matter that she had tapped into Jean's powers, something she promised never to do, just so she could keep her secret. But, that didn't matter. All that mattered was what was in his mind.

_How can she be like that? So powerful? What…was happening to his Marie? He promised to protect her and now…maybe he needed to protect himself._

She thought her heart would snap. The thoughts around the mansion were to some extent the same. Even Scott, who was following behind her, thought the same thing. And it ate at her heart. She tried to save them and they rejected her.

She thought back to her contemplation of suicide. What had stopped her? What mattered anymore? She fought for people who didn't care. She had been serious when she said she understood why Magneto was the way he was.

Why fight for those who shun you? Fear you?

She felt something cold and hard coat over her heart, much like Colossus's coating over her own body. She fought back the tears and told herself to breathe. She squared her shoulders and stood up straight. She had let herself feel too much. Before, no one mattered. Now, no one mattered still. Not Piotr, not Ororo, not Kitty, Not Bobby, not Logan…not Scott. No one was worth saving but herself.

She was Rogue.

The Untouchable.

X

She grunted when she hit the floor, her shoulder blade screaming. "You're not focused." Logan growled, reaching out his hand to help her up. "I'm fine." She muttered, pushing his hand away and standing up by herself.

Four days later and she was allowed back into the Danger Room to train. Bobby and Kitty had expressed interest in the sessions, so they were allowed to come along. Warren and Kurt were also in the room, along with Piotr. They all stood, watching her as she demonstrated exactly what training she had been going through. The sparring she had learned.

And right now, it just didn't matter.

What was the point of training if they were terrified of what she could do? Why train if it just made them more uneasy around her? Kitty and Bobby wouldn't go near her and Scott and Logan seemed to avoid her at all costs. The only ones who spoke to her were Warren and Kurt. They saw nothing wrong with her, and if it weren't for them, she might not have stayed sane inside the mansion.

Every other day was spent in sessions with the Professor while he tried to figure out what was causing her power growth and the exhaustion that followed. She was physically and emotionally drained every night, demonstrating different abilities to the Professor and training with Logan and Scott.

Other than her sessions with the Professor, Rogue never used her powers. Any of them, not even her original ones. She didn't need to nor did she want to. She wasn't some puppet and despite the constant probes from her teammates, chose to fight without her powers. She knew it was beginning to frustrate the two men, especially since the rest of the x-men showed interests in seeing her powers in action.

She wasn't going to reiterate their fears, and she wasn't some side show freak.

She was Rogue.

She stifled a groan when she shifted to look at the two men in front of her, fighting the pain that wracked her body. All she wanted to do was curl up into a little ball and sleep forever. Instead, she flicked the white strands out of her face and said, "One more time."

Logan sent Scott a glance before she turned back to her. "You sure kid?" he asked and she nodded, not caring about the pounding headache behind her eyes. She heard the _shing _as his claws released and had time for one breath before he lunged at her. She saw Scott reach up to his visors and Bobby raise his hands.

She felt the second nature reaction of the hallway doors opening, and she shut it off feverently. She didn't want to use her powers. That's what they were trying to pull out of her and she refused to "tickle their fancies" by doing so. She cut off the sting behind her eyes and hissed when the headache turned vicious. She jumped, throwing her body over Logan's gracefully before she landed on her feet, ducking when she heard the buzz of Scott's beams. She watched as the beams landed dangerously close above her head. She shifted, throwing her weight to the left and flipped, trying to get to Scott so she could tackle him.

She let out a grunt when Logan came at her from behind, wrapping his arms around hers and throwing both of them towards the floor. Midway in the air she turned, letting Logan receive the blunt of the landing when they made contact with the floor. She elbowed him hard in the gut and rolled out of his grip. She jumped to run and let out a curse when she felt Kitty's hands around her ankle. She dropped and almost smiled when she saw the shock on Kitty's face. She reached out and right hooked Kitty's cheek, throwing herself out of her grip.

She watched as Piotr came barreling towards her. With wide eyes she jumped, barely making it over his hand before she fell, slamming hard against the floor. "Son of a-" She cut herself off when her head cracked, the headache splitting through her like a knife. She stayed on the ground, momentarily stunned.

It was a moment she couldn't afford.

She felt the cold as ice began to coat her legs. She jerked, breaking most of it and began to pull herself away. Her ankle caught, and she let out a curse when she felt it twist. She turned to stare at the ice and felt Pyro's door slipping open. She closed her eyes and viciously closed it, refusing to let the powers go. Instead, she began to kick at the ice, the heel of her boot making some headway. Bobby stood there, staring at her, his power on hold. She grunted when she successfully cracked the rest of the ice and pulled her foot free. She jumped up and stumbled, her ankle giving away. "Damn." She muttered, jumping up again. She gritted her teeth against the pain as she ran towards Bobby, dodging blow after blow. She had almost reached him, literally a fingertip away, before she felt the burning in her chest. She had seen him lift his hand and knew he had seen her see him. She knew he had given her time to retaliate, to open her powers and deflect his.

But, she didn't.

She flew back as Scott's power hit it's mark, slamming her against the danger room wall. "Rogue?" Scott yelled and she opened her brown eyes weakly to see the entire room stopped, their actions stilled as they looked at her.

"Why didn't you use your powers?" Logan yelled as he ran towards her, Scott right behind him. She grunted as she tried to get weakly to her hands and knees. She wrapped an arm around her chest, trying to ease the pain that was growing there. "Rogue, why-why didn't you stop me?" Scott asked, bending to reach for her. She slapped his hands away and growled when Logan _tsked _her. "I don't need to use my powers.""Rogue, you could've been killed."

"I don't need to use my powers" She repeated, fighting the exhaustion and pain that began to overwhelm her. "You don't need to use your powers? That's what we're training you to do, Rogue! We're training you to control you powers." Logan said, reaching for her again. "I can control them fine! I don't need help with that!" She slapped at his hands, groaning when her body ached and her head pounded. "Rogue, heal yourself. Use Logan's powers and heal yourself." Scott said gently, treating her like a child. It irked her anger a bit more. "I don't need his damn powers. I can heal fine on my own."

"Stop being so stubborn and just use them already, Rogue!" Logan shouted, grabbing her shoulders and jostling her a bit. She pushed at him, not being able to touch him while those thoughts ran through his head. She couldn't be with any of them. Four days wasn't enough. She doubted 4 years would've been enough. They all still feared her for what she was and what she could so.

She hated them.

She loved them.

Hate.

Love.

Love.

Hate.

She shook her pounding head, and shoved at them, stumbling as she stood up. Both men reached for her and she shouted at them to stay away, staggering as she walked. She turned towards them when she was far enough away. Far enough away so that they couldn't reach her if they tried, but close enough to hear her. "Don't think I don't know what everyone is thinking. You're scared of me, right?" She watched as Bobby, and Kitty looked at the floor, ashamed. "You're scared of me yet you're sick and twisted enough to still want to see me in action, right? What has Rogue turned into? What can she do? How powerful is she? You're all wondering what happened out on that field, right? How can I use so many powers…how can I not be dead from everybody I took, right?" She growled when Logan took a step towards her. He retreated, but his eyes remained steady on her brown ones. He watched as the black slipped in, the dark swirling and mixing with the familiar brown. He watched as her brown hair shimmered red and watched as the white strands flashed against her pale skin. "What can I do? Just how strong am I? How can we protect ourselves from the Phoenix, right!" She shouted and let out a scream when the headache caused her to double over, gripping her head in agony. "Rogue?" Scott shouted, jumping up to towards her. Her black eyes flashed and for a moment, one terrible moment, she had the urge to kill him.

_Fight_. Someone whispered that one word in the back of her mind. A small voice that seemed to be fighting to be heard. The roaring in her ears almost masked it, but she still heard it. She still heard the word. She closed her black eyes, grunting as something tried to take her over. She fought, pushing the personality away as it threatened to overwhelm her. She…the Phoenix.

No.

Rogue.

She was Rogue.

She opened her eyes, the green flashing as the headache raged, throwing her body in turmoil. Someone was screaming her name and in desperation, she screamed back.

_Fight_.

She fought.

_Harder._

She fought with all her might.

She fell to her knees, pressing her burning forehead to the cool floor of the danger room. She was Rogue. And she could control this.

The hate…the fear. It wasn't her. Well, it was her…but the degree of it wasn't hers. Someone else was behind there…and she fought it. The agony tore at her, pain rippling through ever fiber of her body. She felt the scream rip through her throat, a scream so strong, so loud, it shook her to the core.

No one heard the scream of the young telepath in the west wing of the mansion. A scream so strong, so loud, it shook him to the core.


	23. She was Back

She had passed out after that. That's what she remembered most. Pain and then the comforting blackness that surrounded her. She stayed in it's embrace, still aware of her surroundings but choosing to keep her eyes closed and her mind clear. Patches of scenes ran through her foggy mind. One was someone picking her up, running. She had the vague feeling that it was Scott, because he smelled like him. There was another scene where there was shouting. A _lot_ of shouting. A scene where something stuck her, and the pain pierced through her like a needle. Maybe it had been a needle, who knows. Yet another scene where she had lashed out, but it hadn't been her…had it? She was pissed enough.

Scared enough.

Someone was talking to her. She remembered that. She remembered that clearly. A deep, soft, melodic voice that soothed her. Spoke her name and told her everything would be alright, that they could fight this. All she had to do was fight first.

She faded in and out after that. Most of the scenes were blurs, and sometimes she thought she moved. Sometimes she knew she didn't. Other times, she knew she did. It hurt like crazy just to open her eyes, so she didn't. She remained like that, quiet and still. Something was shimmering under her skin, a personality that refused to go away. It kept telling her to fight and she brushed it off, preferring to let someone handle her own body. It was like watching in the backseat as someone else drove. Someone who wasn't her. It lashed out at others, screaming and cursing her friends away. It fought the medicine McCoy gave her and it fought Rogue back to the backseat of her car.

She didn't know how long it was before she began to fight for her own body. She didn't really care. She was sick and tired of letting someone else control her, fighting for her. It was weakly at first. She went through the pain and agony. She fought mentally, holding on to the last shred of her sanity. Gradually, she began to feel. She could move her own fingers and her own legs. She passed out multiple times from exhaustion, but continued to fight. It was a long battle, and she began to wonder if she was too late.

It was almost 3 weeks later when she surfaced completely, having sound mind and body. She was her own. The other personality was there, but for now, Rogue had won. That small voice in the back of her head seemed to smile, congratulating her in this small victory. She thanked the lord it was there to remind her what she was. Who she was.

Rogue.

X

"It's not her." Scott said simply, standing next to her bed, blocking her from the others. Much the same as he had done before when she had passed out. "She almost killed us in that room, Scott!" Kitty screamed. "and now, every time she wakes up, she creates hell."

"It isn't her." He repeated and she heard the confirmation in his voice. She wanted to scream _No, it wasn't me! It wasn't me!_ but something blocked her throat.

"She attacked us, Logan, stop blocking her from the medication!" Bobby screamed, and Rogue was dimly aware of Logan's presence next to Scott. "I agree with one-eyed. That's not the Rogue that we know."

"God, you guys are so blinded by your stupid hormones! That girl is going to kill us all! It's been 3 weeks and all she's done is hurt every single one of us!" Kitty screamed, her voice cracking at a high pitch. "That's not the girl we met at the lake." Warren muttered, fighting for her. "Yah, da girl ve met at ze lake vasn't zat mad at ze world. She vas calmer." Kurt's unmistakable voice interjected. "It doesn't matter! She could kill us now! Every time we stop the medication, she lashes out!" Kitty continued to fight. "Why are you so amped about keeping her under medication? Are you that scared of her?" Scott asked, his voice low and hushed. She heard the anger in his voice and wanted to reach out, to reassure him. She tried to tug her hand and with shock realized she was restrained. She tried to make a sound of distress, but once again felt the blockage in her throat. "If the Professor hadn't taken MJ out of the mansion for tests, he would be right here, fighting on our side! She has to stay under medication!" Kitty fought.

MJ? Who the hell was MJ?

"The Professor agrees with me. What are we going to do? Keep her under medication for forever? How long, Kitty?" Logan asked, is voice rising. She heard the exasperated grunt Kitty let out before Bobby spoke. "We want to help her. If keeping her under medication is the only way, then so be it. I agree with you that it's not how she usually is, but something set her off. Every time she wakes up, one of us gets hurt!"

Had she been hurting people? She remembered dimly always lashing out and wondered with horror how many people she had hurt. "I mean, come on Scott, she cut your cheek!" Kitty yelled and Rogue opened her eyes, horrified.

_That wasn't me! I would never hurt Scott! I love him! _She wanted to shout, to scream, to fight back. That wasn't her. She wasn't like that! That was the other personality, the other person lying underneath her skin! Ever since she had gotten back to the mansion she felt it. The personality had seemed to fuel her anger for the x-men. She wasn't that person anymore! She fought it back! She was Rogue again.

She felt fear rolling off the bodies of her friends, but what she had mistaken for fear _of _her had been fear _for _her. What had made her jump to such a bold conclusion? Sure, the only one who had been truly scared of her was Kitty, which was apparent now. But everyone else…no, they hadn't been scared of her. She tried to fight for the memories before the danger room and with a groan remembered her actions. That hadn't been her. She hadn't been that angry at them. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember exactly how she felt and knew that that hadn't been her.

It had been her…but it wasn't her. She was confusing herself.

She was Rogue. She fought for that and as of right now had control over her actions. She was driving the car this time.

"I know what she did Kitty. She hasn't been the same since we got back from Alkali Lake. That person whose been here for 4 weeks in her body isn't Rogue." Scott murmured, his voice so close to her. She tried to talk, but whatever was clogging her throat didn't allow it. She coughed, finally annoyed enough to want to dismiss the obstruction.

It lodged and she coughed harder, opening her hazel eyes as her throat began to burn. She saw Scott right there and focused on him, coughing harder. "Rogue?" Someone screamed and her terrified eyes switched over to Logan's face. She coughed again and fought to breathe. "Hey, tug it out of her throat!" Warren screamed, and her vision blurred as his face came into view. She kept coughing, the burning getting worse. "She's fighting! Someone get Dr. McCoy in here to administer medicine!" Kitty screamed running. "No! She's not fighting with her powers! Logan, grab it and tug on the count of 3! Rogue, I need to you to focus! Breathe out as hard as you can when I get to 3, ok?" Scott screamed, reaching for her.

Breathe? How the hell was she supposed to breathe as hard as she could if she couldn't even get air into her lungs?

"One!" Scott screamed. Ok, she had to focus. She fought to take air through her nose. "Two!" Her lungs filled. "Three!" With a scream she breathed out, and felt the obstruction leave her throat. She coughed, sucking in huge amounts of air. She became light headed and sat up, the restraints done away with, trying to fight the headache pulsing between her eyes. Scott reached for her and she opened her arms, not caring when he crushed her body against his. He avoided her skin and she was grateful. She couldn't handle another personality. She hadn't been herself long enough yet. There were no personalities anymore. She didn't have to fight.

She was Rogue. She was back.

She repeated the two sentences in her head as she rocked back and forth, scared to death but comforted by Scott's embrace. What had happened to her?

She remembered her anger and the hate. She remembered the pain and the fear. She remembered the resentment. She closed her eyes, hugging Scott tighter. She remembered wanting to kill and shook from the intensity of it. "Rogue? Rogue, is that you?" Scott murmured into her hair and she gripped him tighter. She nodded, not sure if she could get words past her lips. She saw Logan, Warren and Kurt, standing there looking at her warily. She sent them a watery smile before she closed her green eyes. "I'm sorry." she whispered. "I am so sorry."

X

"Kurt, would you focus for a second? Jesus Christ almighty, you're acting like I could kill you." she muttered, slapping his hand away. "Look, you're supposed to put your foot out like this, see? Then you turn. Not the other way around." she let out a laugh when he fell flat on his butt. "I don't see vhy I have to learn dis. I can just teleport, vight?" he asked, brushing off his butt as he got up. "You don't always wanna rely on your power, bub." Logan said, leaning against the wall. Rogue nodded. "You wanna have something else active, just in case. Besides, you don't always wanna be running away."

"Then how come I'm not learning how to fight?" Warren muttered, sliding a disdainful look towards his sparring partner. "Cause I could kick your ass in two seconds. You need to go through regular training first." Scott answered, sending Warren a look. "We can trade spots." Bobby grunted, dodging another blow from Piotr. "Quiet and focus." Rogue commanded and barely missed a punch thrown by Kurt. "Dang, I almost had zat one." Kurt muttered, pulling back. "really?" she asked and grabbed for him, flipping. She heard a groan from him when they both hit the floor, and she rolled off of him. "Yeah, you almost had that one alright." she laughed, standing back up.

She glanced around her and smiled. The only one they were really missing was Kitty and Rogue hadn't expected for her to show up anyway. Piotr grunted and fell. She heard Logan suck in a breath before going over to point out what he had done wrong. Kurt laid on the floor, his hands crossed to a T, feigning time out and she let out a laugh. She glanced up and watched as Warren and Scott got into another argument, this time about whether Warren was ready to ride Scott's bike. She smiled. Highly doubtable since the only one who dared was Logan. Scott couldn't seem to convince Logan that his bike was off limits.

Scott glanced up, feeling her gaze on him and smiled. She smiled back automatically, wincing only slightly from the headache. Scott held up his hand to stop Warren, whispered something to him and began to walk over towards her. She rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming next. He reached her and opened his mouth. She interrupted him and said, "I am fine." He pursed his lips and sent her a look. She had a feeling he was rolling his eyes. "No, seriously. I am fine."

"It's only been two days Rogue, and I think-"

"I think it's time for me to get back into the order of things. I need as much normal as I can get right now." She answered, sending him a reassuring smile. He sighed and now she knew he was rolling his eyes. She punched him lightly on the arm and said, "Stop worrying so much. I told you, it's unbecoming." He smiled and reached for her, wrapping his hand around her wrist and tugging lightly. She fell into the embrace and laughed when she heard him whisper into her ear. She wrapped her arms around him, wondering how she ever could've hated him.

How she ever could've doubted him.

She squeezed lightly before stepping away from him. She looked at him for a moment, contemplating. "What?" he asked, smiling at her. She thought a moment before she spoke. "How'd you know it wasn't me?" she asked, regarding him. He shrugged. "I just knew."

"But-"

"But nothing. I knew. When you fight, it's fair. You wouldn't use your powers against us. Not like that." he finished. She nodded. "I guess so. It's comforting to know you can know that. Even when I didn't." She whispered, looking down at her feet. She missed when he reached out and tugged her back into a hug. "I'll never let you go, not like that. I'll protect you, no matter what" he whispered into her hair, breathing her in. She smiled, revealing in that one small detail.

"Hey, can we get going? We'd like to finish today!" she heard Bobby scream, his laughter softening the harsh sentence. She smiled and pulled away, sending Bobby a look before turning around fully. "Fine, Bobby, you can spar with me." The look of fear that crossed his face lifted her mood, and she smiled. "Well, I really think I should spar with someone a little more on my level-"

"Nah, nonsense! You'll learn faster this way!" she ran towards him, letting out a shout when he began running away from her.

"She was always like this, right?" Warren asked, walking up to Scott. Scott nodded, watching her. "you know…she didn't seem to change until we reached the mansion." Warren muttered, following Rogue with his eyes. Scott half-turned. "What?" Scott asked. Warren shrugged. "I know I only knew her for five days before she passed out, and I was unconscious most of it, but…she didn't become angry until she reached the mansion. That day when she ran, getting farther and farther away, she seemed more like herself. Heck, I even got her to go back to the mansion. But, when she came back…she was angry. Don't tell me you didn't see it. She got angrier every day."

"Are you telling me it was the mansion?" Scott asked, turning fully now. Warren shrugged again. "What I am telling you is it had to be something in the mansion. Something here was making her the way she was."


	24. Rogue vs MJ

"You think something in the mansion is changing her?" Scott asked, his voce lowering to a whisper. Warren nodded. "Then how come she's back to normal now? How come she is back to being her?" Scott asked. Warren shrugged. "That's the fatal flaw in my assumption. But I am telling you, it has to be the mansion." Warren said, nodding towards Rogue. Scott shook his head. "She's lived here in peace for 5 years. I highly doubt it's the mansion. I think she just used her powers too much on the fields and it backfired."

This time is was Warren who shook his head. "I told you. Kurt and I saw after the battle. Other then being extremely tired, she was the way she is now. She didn't get angry or mad until we teleported to the mansion." Scott furrowed his brows in concentration. After a moment he shook his head. "let's just keep an eye on her. If what you say is true, then it's bound to happen again. We just have to keep our eyes peeled and stop it from happening."

X

She was joking around with Bobby when she felt it. Her smiled faded when the pain began, wracking her entire body even before she could get a word out. She stumbled and doubled over, letting out a shout. Someone shouted her name and she wondered who it was…if they could help. A voice began screaming in the back of her mind, a small voice she recognized as the one who helped her fight. Another, different, more powerful voice screamed, her mind splitting as it cracked through her head. The war of the 3 voices continued, and she brought her hands up to grip the sides of her head as they fought. Her voice and the two others.

She thought she might hurl from the pressure, and maybe she did. She didn't understand. She had fought it! She had lived almost 3 days perfectly. Three days as herself. Three days as Rogue.

She ground her teeth together. Well, she was going to fight it harder this time. She dropped her hands from her head and fell to her knees. She closed her black eyes and bowed forward, placing her burning head on the cool metal floor. She felt the powers inside her fighting, breaking to let lose and with Herculean effort she fought it back, her mind and body already beginning to burn with fatigue. The 3 voices screamed, two fighting for her and one fighting against her. She opened her eyes and the others watched as the green eyes flashed before being swamped over by black.

Wings sprouted out of her back and metal began to coat her body. She felt both and fought harder, her eyes shining with concentration. She pounded a fist on the floor, groaning at the sharp pain that radiated up her arm. It was good though. It meant she still had control over her body. She let out a scream when the other personality seemed to erupt, distorting her skin and placing her in pain. Someone shouted again and she felt her body respond. From the metal coat around her body a cube appeared, taking form and shape before hurtling towards Bobby, the owner of the voice. Rogue let out another scream and jerked open the door to Magneto's power.

Bobby fell, his knees shaking so hard that they couldn't keep him up. The metal cube floated inches in front of his face, vibrating as it was given two different commands. Rogue let out a grunt and the cube fell, slicing heavily into the floor.

"Rouge!" someone screamed, and this time she recognized it as Warren. She sat up and her coal black eyes opened. She smiled with satisfaction when she felt the sting behind her eyes The red beams appeared, shooting out and heading straight for the blonde beauty. Everyone watched in horror first and then in fascination as the beams halted. They turned a weird green color before they zapped right back into Rogue's head. She flew back from the pressure, her body jerking like a twig caught in the wind. She rolled, her body snapping in odd places. She laid still for a long time, her sharp intakes of breath being the only sign that she was still alive.

That she was still with them.

Logan took one step towards her and when nothing happened, the others followed suit. It was when he was close enough to reach for her that her eyes snapped open, the black a stark contrast against her pale skin. She let out a scream and Logan was thrust into the air and hurled towards one of the cool, metal walls. He let out a shout and closed his eyes, waiting for the pain. Rogue screamed again and Logan stopped suddenly, dropping to the floor. They all watched as she twisted, getting back to a bowing position. Scott took one step towards her and in desperation, she shouted "NO!" She held out her hands, her green eyes flashing before she closed them.

She was winning. The other personality was getting weak, and Rogue was winning. She just needed a little more time.

_Fight_.

The voice was weaker, definitely smaller, and scared, Rogue tried to pull that voice out. She needed it's help. She needed all the help she could get. She fought, her fists pounding on the floor as she tried to detain one personality, and dredge out the other. She felt the bad personality fade, being replaced by her own. A picture of an angel burned her behind her eyelids and suddenly, as quickly as it started, it stopped. It was a moment later when the pain stopped with it. Another moment still before she felt in complete control. She opened her eyes, the dark green hollow, before she took a deep breath.

They were all around her, watching her warily. She closed her eyes. She was back at it again. Back at scaring everyone and back at the phase where she couldn't control it. She had fought it though, and smiled weakly at that small victory.

She had fought it…and won.

"Rogue…?" Scott asked hesitantly and she opened her eyes again. He was right there, inches from her, holding out his hands. She swallowed and licked her lips. She tested her reflexes, first by clenching and unclenching her hands against the floor, then by struggling to her hands and knees. "Yeah." She murmured. She let her head hang between her shoulders before she repeated, "Yeah. I am Rogue." She lifted her head and fought the drowsiness as she gazed at them, at Scott. "Yeah, I am me." Then, she collapsed.

X

"ok…so, what just happened?" Bobby murmured, still kneeling, looking at the metal cube with wide eyes. Logan shook his head, staggering up. "I think…relapse?" he asked, walking over towards hRogue. He shook his head again to clear it and said, "I think her powers are getting stronger. Last person to throw me through the air like that was you, One-eyed."

Scott glanced down at her, his heart finally breathing as he watched her breathe in and out, her head pillowed on his lap. "That seemed…odd." Scott murmured, brushing back a loose white strand from her face. "It seemed kinda…sudden, actually." Piotr said, coming to stand next to Scott. "Was that…was that my power I saw her using?" he asked, glancing down at her. Scott nodded and turned towards Logan. "You alright?" he asked and the big man nodded. "It felt like something pulled me back before I hit the wall. I think…the kid did it." he nodded towards Rogue.

"I think she stopped a lot of those attacks." Warren said, his wings fluttering as he pulled at them. He just faced death and was shaken by it. He was making sure he was still alive. He had felt the heat from those beams and thought for a moment she had hit her mark. He was glad she hadn't.

"She started those attacks though." Bobby said, kicking the metal cube with the toe of his boot. He let out a curse when it stubbed.

"Yeah, but Icekid, you'd be a hunk of your old self with a metal cube in your head if it wasn't for her." Logan said, stretching his neck. "And I'd be plastered against that wall while Warren would be standing there with a hole in his chest. She stopped those attacks. You saw what happened. She sucked One-eyed's power back and let it hit her instead. It was almost as if…she was fighting herself." Logan finished.

"But, vhat just happened to her?" Kurt asked, his yellow eyes worried. "She's tired. She probably passed out." Warren said, crouching down to look at her. His blue eyes roamed over her pale face and for some odd reason, his hand itched to reach out and touch her. Scott cleared his throat and Warren looked up to see his face. He never thought it was possible for someone to age in the amount of 5 minutes, but Scott seemed to prove him wrong. His face was ragged and pale, his hair disheveled. The lines of worry etched in his face seemed to have deepened, leaving an older looking Scott in their place. Warren reached out and clapped a hand on Scott's shoulders. "We have her back, Scott. It's ok. She's gonna be ok." Scott nodded, wrapped his hands under her shoulder blades and behind her knees and picked her up. Her head rested against his chest and he felt her breath flow on the outside of his suit. He had never been so happy in his life just because someone was breathing.

"We need to take her to infirmary. McCoy would know what to do." Scott said, beginning to walk. Everyone nodded and began moving, hoping the scene wouldn't repeat itself. They reached the door and Logan reached out, ready to place his hand on the scanner to have it recognized and to open the doors. The doors slid open before he even touched the scanner and Kitty stood there, her face shocked but the excitement drumming under her skin obvious. "There you guys are! I was looking all over for you! You'd never guess what just happened-What happened to her?" she stopped, gazing at the unconscious Rogue. Logan waved that away and asked, "What just happened?" Kitty shook her head, switching her gaze back to Logan's.

"The Professor just came back with MJ." She paused, almost bouncing in place. "And?" Warren asked, his eyebrows raised. "And something happened to MJ!" she shouted, bouncing visibly now. "What?" Bobby asked, and didn't quite hide the exasperation in his voice. Kitty's face fell and her eyes switched back over to Rogue. "What happened in here-"

"What happened to MJ?" Scott shouted, his voice urgent but commanding. Kitty stepped back, surprised by his tone, but slowly answered him. "MJ passed out! We got in the mansion and he just started screaming! Lights kept flickering and objects started shaking! And then, out of nowhere, his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out! The Professor's sent me to come look for you guys! Now, what happened to Rogue-"

"Go tell the Professor we'll be right there." Logan muttered, and clapped his hand over the scanner, closing the doors. They shut on Kitty's shocked face and Logan turned, glancing at the others in the room. "How long as MJ been here?"

"The telepath we rescued at Alkali?" Bobby asked and Logan nodded. "About…4 weeks?"

"Vhy do you call him MJ? I dought his name vas Mark."

"We already have a Mark in the mansion. Kid said his middle name started with a J, so not to confuse the two, we called MJ…well, MJ." Bobby answered, turning towards the blue man. "Did he ever say what his middle name was?" Scott asked, readjusting Rogue. "Yeah, he said it was…Jean." Bobby's eyes widened. "How long has the kid been here?" Warren asked, alarmed. "Four weeks." Scott muttered. "How long has Rogue been like this?" Warren asked again, glancing towards her. "Four weeks." Scott muttered, staring down at Rogue. "Shit." Logan muttered.

* * *

Gah, this story is coming along amazingly! I am so excited to continue :3

Thanks for all the reviews and thanks for the commitment. I must say, i never thought i'd hit 24 chapters. And i still have more!

OK, chapters are coming out faster but school starts back up on monday...fingers crossed!


	25. Safe

The kid was gone when they went to the infirmary. The Professor had stepped out momentarily to answer a call and apparently, the kid bolted. Jumped right out the window and fled into the woods behind the school. Piotr, Bobby, Kitty and Kurt were sent to look for him while Logan, Warren and Scott stayed to help the Professor with Rogue.

She eyed them warily from the leather couch in the Professor's office. All three men stood stiff and quiet in front of the Professor's desk, waiting for him to return to the room. She had woken up in there and heard the infirmary was busy today. That no one was allowed in. Since X-men rarely got hurt, and she remembered being able to stop the attacks before they had hit the men, the possibility of the infirmary being extremely busy was unlikely.

Suspicious.

She continued staring at them, her hazel eyes never leaving their faces as the men fidgeted. After a long moment of silence, she finally spoke. "What's going on?" Scott let out a strained chuckle. "The infirmary's busy and we wanted the Professor to check on you-" She waved that away and asked again. "What's going on?" Logan let out a sigh and scratched the back of his head. When he remained silent, Rogue raised an eyebrow. "One-eyed's right. We just wanted to have the Professor check on you-" She let out a sigh, cutting him off before she turned away from them.

"Lying to me isn't going to make things easier on you guys." she murmured, staring out the window. It was so much easier to think now. She had won and the other personality seemed to have just disappeared. She could breathe easier and she could feel easier.

She was her own again.

She let out another sigh and turned back towards the men. "So, are you going to tell me, or am I going to have to ask the Professor?" She asked and watched as the 3 men winced. Warren elbowed Logan and Logan elbowed Scott in return. He let out a sigh and she saw his jaw working, clenching and unclenching. "Ask the Professor it is-"

"We think MJ was the reason behind your…episodes." Scott interrupted, waiting for her reaction. She was too tired to have one, so she just kept staring at him. "And?" she asked after a moment. "He's…kinda…sorta…" Scott hesitated. "Escaped." Warren muttered, turning to look anywhere but her. Rogue furrowed her brows. "You think that he's working for Magneto?" she asked. Scott shook his head. "We think he was doing something with his telepathy to throw you off. We're not entirely sure yet, and the Professor wants to speak with him. Kurt, Bobby, Kitty and Piotr are out looking for him. The Professor wanted to see you too, though."

"Then why isn't he here?" She asked and Logan shrugged. "Charles has got a couple things to take care of first."

She nodded and closed her eyes, tired. She heard rustling, and opened her green eyes to watch as Scott came walking over. "We can ask the Professor to do this another time if you're too tired." he whispered as he crouched in front of her, brushing back a white strand. She shook her head. "Might as well get it over with now." She said, yawning. Scott nodded his head but remained crouched in front of her, watching. She smiled and reached over to pat the space next to her. Scott looked down and smiled before standing up to take a seat.

She felt the humming of a headache brewing but was trying to push the pain back as much as possible. She closed her eyes again leaned towards Scott, his shoulder pillowing her head. It was a moment later when they heard the soft, quiet breaths of her sleep.

Scott sat staring at her for a long moment before he spoke. "They didn't find him, did they?"

"No, One-eyed, they didn't."

"So what now?" Scott asked, looking at the men. Logan shrugged. "Whatever the Professor has planned. We don't exactly know what role MJ played in Rogue's 'episodes'. It's not like the kid ever talked the 4 weeks he was here."

"I don't even remember seeing the kid much." Scott murmured, deep in thought. "He stayed in his room most of the time. Only came out every so often." Logan said, walking over to sit on the armrest near Rogue's shoulder. Warren began pacing, his mind working. "Did he ever go to see Rogue?" He asked the other two men and Scott shook his head. "Someone was always with her, and if they had seen MJ doing some funky stuff, they would've told the Professor."

"So, what now? We just wait for the kid to come back and do this to her again?" Warren asked, finally taking a seat in a corner of the room. "We find out exactly what MJ was doing to her." A voice answered from the doorway. All 3 men turned and watched as Charles moved into the room, Ororo ever at his side.

He nodded towards Rogue and said "If she permits me, I would like to riffle through her thoughts."

"Do you think she'll let you? There's a lot going through there right now." Scott said, his eyes never wavering from the Professor. Charles pursed his lips and opened his mouth to speak.

"If it lets him figure out what's wrong with me, I'm ok with it." A small voice said. Scott turned and saw Rogue's hazel eyes watching him sleepily. "Are you sure?" He asked, and she watched as his face changed, going from grim to something lighter, something close to tenderness. She nodded and lifted her head off his shoulder. "I want to know what he did to me too." she murmured, rubbing sleep from her face. The Professor continued deeper into the room, moving until he stopped in front of her. "You are sure?" he asked, and again she nodded. "I want to know."

The Professor nodded slightly and raised his hands. "I want you to clear your mind, Rogue. Clear your mind of everything." She nodded and closed her eyes, listening to Scott's breathing to calm her down. "You're going to feel me pushing and I don't want you to fight me. Just clear your mind and let me through. Just clear your mind." he murmured and after a couple of minutes, she felt it. The pushing and prodding. She tried not to fight it, but it became increasingly worse. Images and memories flashed through her mind, personalities mixing as the Professor continued. She reached out both hands, the pain almost unbearable. One hand wrapped around Scott's while the other hand gripped the armrest of the leather chair.

"What's happening?" Warren asked, jumping off his perch on the other side of the room. He watched as Rogue began wincing, her body shaking violently. The Professor in turn had a sheen of sweat covering his forehead. It had only been a couple of minutes since the Professor started, but already Warren had a bad feeling about this. "What's happening to her?" Warren asked again, moving quickly over to the pair. Logan's arm shot out and stopped him, his voice low when he spoke. "If you do anything to break the connection right now, they both could die."

"How can you say that and sit there and watch them!" Warren shouted, his arm outstretched. Logan glared at him. "You think I want to be just sitting here? Calm down and stop it! She can hear everything you're saying and you're probably scaring her!"

Warren clenched his jaw, wanting to say more but not being able to get words past his lips. Instead, he turned away from the scene, not being able to bear watching her suffer.

Scott's face paled, the slim fingers in his shaking so hard he thought she might snap. Suddenly, Rogue let out a scream. Her eyes shot open, the green luminous before she collapsed over into Scott's lap. Charles let out a grunt and opened his eyes, lowering his shaking hands. "well?" Scott asked, cradling Rogue's head in his lap.

The Professor closed his eyes a moment before he spoke. "I…am not sure. Something is blocking me…and if I were to break the block…Rogue could die."

"then…?" Scott let the question trail off. Charles shook his head. "she's tired, Scott. Bring her to her room and let her sleep. We'll try again another day." he began moving, ending the conversation. Ororo followed him out the room and the door closed with a click, the sound resonating through the quiet room. "That was…weird." Warren murmured before walking over to the pair on the couch. He bent, his hands itching to touch the sleeping mutant. "Something's wrong, One-eyed. The Professor…" Logan stopped, unable to continue. Scott turned to look at both men. "The Professor knows something and won't tell us. It must be something…bad." Scott's statement was followed by silence, each man contemplating something different.

What was happening to Rogue?

"So what now?" Warren asked, staring at Rogue's serene face. Scott shrugged, turning Rogue to place her comfortably in his arms. "For now? We follow what the Professor said. She's tired, and she needs sleep." He stood up, walking towards the door with her in his arms. The other men followed wanting to keep an eye on her. The door clicked shut, finally leaving a silent room.

The leather chair sizzled, the small image of a bird branding itself into where Rogue's hand had been.

X

Rogue gazed around, the calm waters of Alkali lake throwing her reflection back at her. She glanced up when she heard the crunch of shoes on the gravel and saw the familiar redhead. "You're late." Rogue murmured, turning around fully.

Jean watched her with sad eyes, her mouth remaining stubbornly closed. "I haven't seen you in a while. What's changed?" Rogue asked, knowing it was probably useless. Every other time, Jean had never spoken. Jean never did anything really but stand there. Last time, she had gotten Jean to say "no", but it had only ended up confusing her more. That was more than a month ago. Granted, she head been passed out most of it, but even then, Jean showing up now had to mean something. Right? There was something the redhead had to say-

"Danger." she whispered, and Rogue's body jerked when she heard the small, familiar voice. "Danger?" Rogue repeated, stepping closer to the young women. Jean nodded, and her brown eyes shone with tears. Rogue squinted, making sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. Jean was crying.

Rogue remained speechless, surprised at the difference between her last visit with Jean and now. Jean could show emotions. Jean could speak…more or less.

Jean was…Jean.

"Danger…to…you." Jean fought to get the words past her lips, her body visibly shaking from the effort. "what danger?" Rogue asked, closing the gap between the two women and reaching out her hand to grab Jean's. "what's a danger to me?"

"Danger…to…you…Be…careful…Not…human." Jean reached out, grabbing Rogue's bare face. She jerked back, waiting for the usual pain. "Be…careful…too…powerful…" Jean held on, her hand cold. Rogue began shaking, scared to the core. "What's too powerful?" She whispered, her green eyes never leaving Jean's brown ones. "Watch…him…protect…him…" Both women fell to their knees, Jean crying while Rogue stared, waiting for something to make sense. "Please…be….careful…Marie!" Jean shouted and Rogue felt herself being picked up. She tried to keep a hold on Jean, screaming when her hand slipped. She flew upwards, higher and higher, her body getting heavier and heavier. She broke through a barrier, and the last thing she remembered was seeing a bird, shrouded in fire.

X

She woke up with a scream, her body shaking violently, covered in sweat. Her throat closed suddenly, cutting off her air supply. She began clawing at it, trying to get air to her lungs. She bolted up, gagging as her head became lighter.

A glint brought her eyes to the balcony windows. If she had air, she would've screamed.

The young boy stood there, watching her with black eyes. She recognized him as the telepath they had found at Alkali. What was his name? What had they called him? MJ? She continued clawing at her throat, the pain dimming as black spots began to cloud her vision. Somehow, she knew it was him. He was causing it.

She closed her eyes, desperately trying to concentrate as she pictured the mental hallway. She didn't notice as doors flew open, powers being released one by one. Rain pounded against the windows while lightening flashed in the sky. Her body coated over with metal while her fists plunged into the bed with superhuman strength. She didn't notice it, though. All she focused on was what she needed from the hallway. She ran, looking for the one power that could help her.

The power she had obtained that very afternoon.

Xavier's name shone harshly on the wooden door. She grabbed the handle and threw it open, taking control over the Professor's powers.

His telepathy.

Her eyes shot open and the green focused on the young boy. She pushed and the pressure on her throat lessened. She pushed more and watched as MJ stepped back, her telepathy throwing him off. Finally, the pressure on her throat disappeared and she took in a breath, her light headiness decreasing in small increments.

MJ raised his hands, his fists pounding on the glass doors, fighting to get in. The occasional flashes of lightening threw his face into focus. It was contorted, the features misplaced and distorted. She fought back vomit as she continued pushing, willing the Professor's telepathy to win the battle. She fought, gripping the blanket hard enough to turn her knuckles white. She focused, her eyes a green so bright, they seemed to glow in the dark room.

She felt it when he stopped, his telepathy fading to be replaced by something more violent. A flash of lightening showed her his small smile, his teeth an ugly brown. She watched, horrified when his mouth opened to an unbelievable size. His hands slammed against the glass, and she heard the crack as it split across her room. A terrible roar seemed to shake through her, the origin being the little boy. She slapped her hands over her ears when she heard the scream, it's pitch piercing the glass even more.

The window shattered, glass spears flying towards her as MJ stepped into the room. He had made it a couple of steps before Rogue felt the burning behind her eyes. She let the optic blasts loose, the red slamming into MJ hard, throwing him off balance. The spears faltered before falling, glass shattering even more as they landed on her floor.

She jerked her body, her eyes closing as Scott's powers stopped. She opened them again and heard the hum as the metal coat on her body seemed to respond to Magneto's power. Shapes began taking form from Colossus's coat, and with satisfaction she watched as they began hurtling towards MJ. He screamed again when the first one hit him, but by the fourth one, the child was thrown out the window. She heard the bump as his body hit the ground, and felt shivers up her spine when she heard the inhuman groans. There was a terrible screeching before it all became silent, the rain hitting her carpet being the only sound.

She jerked again, the mental hallway fading as the powers began to fade, going back into their respective rooms. She remained sitting in her bed, the tattered room the only signs that had battle had even happened. She sat still, her mind still not being able to comprehend what just happened. Was that was Jean had meant by danger? Had she meant the little boy?

She jumped when she heard pounding on her door, Scott's voice jumbled among others. She turned, sliding off the bed before standing up. Her knees gave out and with a shriek, she fell, gasping. There was more pounding and the door broke open, Scott leading the herd as they all filed on. "Rogue? Rogue!" Logan shouted, his eyes taking in the destroyed room. "Here." She muttered, hoping they heard her. She began shaking, the last 5 minutes finally sinking in. Scott found her first and she lost her breath when he slid next to her, crushing her body to his chest. Over his shoulder she saw the rest of the mansion looking around her room, noting the destruction.

Noting the devastation. She closed her eyes, realizing she wasn't even safe in her own room. They could still find her. They could still kill her. She wasn't safe anywhere. She began to shake harder, fighting tears.

Scott began whispering, his voice strangled and weak. "You're safe. I'm here. You're safe." He repeated the one phrase over and over again, and somehow it comforted her.

She was safe.

She wrapped her shaking arms around Scott, holding on to him.

She was safe with Scott.


	26. Resentment

The clock ticked away as they all gathered around in the living room. The hockey table was quiet, usually filled with the sounds of laughing children, and the TV was off, the usual roaring laughs or gunfire silenced. The mansion was quiet, the younger kids sleeping after being herded back into their rooms. None of them knew exactly what had happened and the Professor preferred it that way. The only ones still awake were the X-men.

They had gone to look for MJ after the fight. She had told them where she had thrown the body, already knowing it was useless. MJ was gone. She had heard him leave herself. Piotr and Scott came back drenched, shaking their heads when the Professor had asked if they found anything. Rogue remained quiet after that, her hazel eyes far away. The Professor had called for an emergency meeting of the X-men in the living room, and after some time and noise, here they all were.

The fire crackled in it's hearth as they all sat or stood, each one thinking something different. No one spoke, more lost in their own thoughts more then in the people around them. Scott and Rouge sat at one couch, Logan and Warren perched behind them. The Professor was sitting in front of the fire, watching the flames play as Ororo paced slowly behind him. Kitty and Bobby stifled yawns on the couch opposite of the other pair, while Kurt stood and stared solemnly out the window. Piotr stood quietly near the entrance to the main hall, watching for trouble.

When the clock chimed three in the morning, the Professor finally spoke. "How are you feeling, Rogue?" They all glanced over at her and for a moment, she felt like a specimen under a microscope. She shrugged, fingering the edge of her glove. "Alright, I guess." Charles nodded before turning towards her. "What can you remember?"

She shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulders again. "I woke up, and he was there. Just…looking at me."

"Did he say anything?" she answered The Professor by shaking her head. "If he did, I didn't hear him. He just…stood there. I couldn't breathe and somehow I knew he was doing it, so I pushed. He stopped…and I think he broke the glass. It could've been me, but all I knew was that suddenly, he was in the room. So, I fought him again and pushed him out. I heard him land with a thump and then…nothing. You guys busted in and you know the rest from there." She muttered the last part, rubbing her gloved hands over her face.

"There was nothing out there when we checked. Nothing but some glasses and a little bit of blood." Piotr relayed, walking over to the group. "Why is he after Rogue?" Warren asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She gave him a small smile, but it disappeared when the Professor confessed he didn't know yet. "How do we know it's just Rogue? What if he's after all of us and Rogue just presented the best opportunities?" Kitty asked, sliding forward. Rogue resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but saw that Kurt hadn't. She smiled when she saw the yellow move around before they landed on her, his blue smile comforting. "What do you mean, Kitty?" The Professor asked. "well, my room doesn't have a huge window, the men all have active powers and we aren't all as sensitive as Rogue is. What if she just was the easiest to get to first?"

"I doubt it." Rogue muttered, sending a look Kitty's way. "Not everything is about you, Rogue. MJ could've been sent my Magneto to break us apart from the inside out."

"So why didn't he do it when I was unconscious? Why not start attacking me when I was at my weakest?"

"He wanted to gain our trust first." Kitty, sitting back, a satisfied smile on her face. "It would make sense, only there's one thing wrong with your plan." Scott said, staring at her. Her smiled faded and she shifted uncomfortably before asking, "What?"

Scott raised something crumpled in his hand and Rogue reached out to grab it. The picture was faded, it's edges bent and withered, but she recognized it. She stared at her face as it was almost 2 years ago. Had she really looked that young?

"what is it?" Piotr asked, walking over to take a look at it over her shoulder. "Is that you?" Warren asked, turning his head. She nodded. "I didn't know I looked so…young." She murmured, and Scott smiled. "I found this where you said MJ had probably landed.""So?" Kitty asked. Scott turned to look at her and Rogue heard the exasperation in his voice as he answered. "So, there was nothing else out there. No picture of anyone else or anything. If MJ was carrying this, and only this, that proves he was specifically after Rogue."

"But why Rogue?" Kitty asked, and Rogue wanted to wince at her whiney voice. Was Kitty actually jealous she was getting all the attention for once? "What's wrong, Kitty? Pissed that I actually might mean something to someone?" She asked, her hazel eyes flashing with a hint of anger. "No, that's not it, but why you? Why not any of us? I am sure there are more stronger people who are worth pursuing in this room-"

"Wanna trade places?" Rogue shouted, standing up suddenly. "Rogue." Scott's gentle voice whispered. "No," She started, glancing at him before she turned to look back at Kitty, "If you have something against me, say it Kitty. Or I swear, I'll say it for you!"

"What are you talking about?" The small child asked, standing up. If the situation wasn't so serious, Scott would've laughed. Rogue's tall framed dwarfed Kitty's and somehow, Rogue seemed more…powerful.

"You know what I mean. You've had something against me the entire time you've been here. If you have something to say, say it!"

"I've done no such thing!"

"Bullshit! Say it!"

"Stop it!"

"Keep me on medication, keep me under! Right? Why does she get all the attention? Why are her powers growing? Right?"

"I said stop it!"

"Say it!"

"I resent you for killing Jean!" Kitty yelled, her face turning red as the confession reverberated around the room. Rogue paled, her anger dying down. "That's enough!" The Professor shouted, rarely showing anger. Rogue turned away from the small child and pursed her lips, tears shimmering in her brown eyes.

"Piotr, take Kitty to her room." The professor said and Piotr nodded, stepping over towards Kitty. She turned, remaining quiet as Piotr led her out the room.

It got silent again, and Rogue could heard the clock ticking. Logan cleared his throat and she looked up, her brown eyes touching his before they fell again. "I think we found out all we can for tonight. Tomorrow, we'll look into this deeper. Everyone, please continue up to your rooms." The Professor said, closing his eyes briefly. They all began to shift, bodies moving slowly as their tired bones responded. Scott stood up and touched her shoulder lightly. She glanced up at him, but her face remained solemn when he sent her a small smile. A thought occurred to her suddenly and she turned, her voice small and weak, a stark contrast to the way it was before. "Where do I go?" she asked, thinking of her wrecked room. Everyone stopped moving and glanced at the Professor. He stopped, his face set in concentration. "Well, you can't stay in your room and I don't think it would be the best idea to place you alone in a room, in case MJ comes back. You can sleep with Ororo, or-"

"She can stay with me."

Her eyes widened when she heard Scott's voice. She turned to look at him and missed the smiled that floated between Logan and Warren. "What?" she squeaked, glancing over at the Professor. He smiled and shrugged. "You and Scott are in some sort of relationship, correct? I was actually going to suggest it myself."

"Yah, but…" As much as she loved him, the thought of sharing a room with Scott Summers was terrifying.

"It makes sense, right?" Scott asked, placing a hand on the small of her back. "Uh, why I can't I just room with Ororo-"

"If MJ was to come back for you, he'd go near your room, right? We can stop him right then and there if we hear him, especially since my room is next to yours. Besides, I can protect you."

"So can Storm." She fought, glancing at the weather-witch. "Scott is right, Rogue, it would be better if you were with him."

"Yeah, but isn't there like a rule or something-"

"Scared of me, Rogue?" Scott asked, eyeing her. She let out a huff. "Of course not."

"then it's settled. You're with me."

X

"I think this is absolutely unnecessary." She muttered, tugging on her long-sleeved pajamas. "I don't." Scott said, throwing another pillow on the bed. "I do." She muttered again, glancing around the large room. It wasn't anything like his old suite was with Jean, but this one was still bigger than hers. She eyed the big bed warily, wondering how this was going to work.

"Do I get the couch?" she asked, her nerves raw. "Of course not. You sleep on that and your back will be killing you in the morning."

"right." she muttered, watching him moving around in long flannel pants and a t-shirt. He bent over to adjust the blanket and Rogue gave herself a moment to admire his butt before she spoke again. "I still think I should room with another _girl_." she emphasized the last word, sending Scott a withering look. "And I think you need to relax." Scott said, his voice hinting a sense of finality.

He turned towards her and made a flourish motion with his hands towards the bed. She quirked an eyebrow, crossed her arms over her chest and stood there. "How is this going to work?" She asked, tapping her foot. "I sleep on one side and you sleep on the other. I don't move in my sleep, and I doubt you do, so I think we're ok. Besides, you're covered up enough, right?" He asked, glancing at her.

She let out a sigh and stiffened up again when he began to walk slowly towards her. "Rogue, please." He whispered, and his voice sent shivers down her spine. Good ones.

She began chewing her bottom lip and regretted it when she saw his head cock lower, focused on her mouth. She stopped, and instead uncrossed her arms and began walking. She passed him, her intention to crawl into the bed, close her eyes and feign sleep.

She let out a shriek when his arm shot out and he pulled her back. She jerked her head back when his lips crushed to hers. He followed her movements, his mouth demanding, drawing more from her. She closed her eyes and immediately, the door to leech's powers opened. She had begun to feel the pull and the tug before it faded, her power submerging because of Leech's.

She fell into it, into the kiss.

She loved the way Scott tasted. She loved the way his hand came to grip the back of her head, his lips pressing hard enough to bend her head back. Her hands came up to grip his face, her bare hands being able to feel.

It was a moment before the kiss deepened and became gentler. His hands moved down to grip her hips and for one, amazing moment, she felt.

When the headache started, splitting through her head like lightening, she let out a groan and pulled away from him. She shut the door to Leech's powers and stepped back, not trusting her own feelings.

She had been right. She could control her powers that way. The only problem was, she could probably die if she used Leech's powers for too long.

But, for a moment, she had been able to feel.

She smiled at the small realization and looked up to find Scott watching her. He opened his mouth to speak and she shook her head. "I'm fine, just a headache." she said and he nodded. He began to reach for her and she shook her head again. "If you do that, you might end up unconscious. I can't vouch for my actions right now, Scott."

He let out a strained chuckle. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. I've been wanting to do that ever since the first time I kissed you." She laughed. "I know how you feel." She muttered, turning to walk towards the bed. She flipped back the covers and her nerves came back when she saw him on the other side.

He noticed and let out a laugh, this time it was free instead of strained. "I'm not going to jump your bones. I have more restraint then that." she nodded and sat down, swinging her legs over. She buried herself under the covers even before Scott had gotten in. She felt the bed give under his weight and waited.

Nothing.

She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and heard him chuckle. "Relax, Rogue." She turned to face him and found him staring at the ceiling. It was a couple of minutes of silence before he spoke. "Kitty was out of line before."

"What?" she asked and the pillow cover rustled as he turned to look at her. "What Kitty said before, she was out of line."

"About…?"

"Jean."

"Oh." Another patch of silence followed and she found herself tracing the lines of Scott's face with her eyes. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, but she had to ask the one question that had been bugging her since Kitty's confession. She felt drowsiness close in on her senses, the events of the past couple of hours finally catching up to her. Sleep was closer than she had realized, but she wanted to ask it. Had to ask it. "Do you resent me?" She murmured, closing her hazel eyes.

"For?" she heard his deep voice ask and heard the covers rustle as his entire body turned towards her. "Do you resent me for killing her, Scott?" Her voice became slurred, sleep closing in. It was quiet for a long time and she thought that maybe she hadn't asked the question after all. Maybe sleep had stopped her. She decided to let the question drop and instead welcomed the blanket of sleep. She didn't hear him murmur, "I don't resent you for anything, Rogue." He closed his eyes, finally being able to relax enough to sleep. She was safe. She was with him. He was never going to let her go again.

No matter what.

Far away in Alkali Lake, a telepath opened her black eyes and smiled. It was time.

* * *

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the awesome reviews!

I know a lot of this might be confusing, but i promise, the next couple of chapters are going to explain a lot! especially the eye color thing (And The reserved reader, you're not missing anything much. I kinda wanted the eye color thing to be shrouded in mystery) lol

I am excited to read that a lot of you find this interesting. i was scared i was pulling the story out too long and making unnecessary chapters, but now, not so much anymore.

And Maryloue, your reviews can never become annoying ^^ And yes, i do read Twilight, and yes, i despise the way they make Bella a typical DOD. I like main characters to be kickass when they're women, which is why i hated the way they portrayed Rogue in the movies. I felt like she could've been so much stronger if they just let her use her powers right.


	27. Always Reaching

"Nothing?" Warren asked, grabbing another dish from her to dry. Rogue glanced at him. "What were you expecting?" She asked, bumping him lightly with her hip. The blonde smiled. "A hot, steamy little rendezvous resulting in an unwanted pregnancy-"

"Would you stop screwing around and dry the dishes already?" she asked, her face turning red. "Vhat I don't understand is vhy not use a condom if it is an unvanted pregnancy?" Kurt muttered, soaping another bowl before handing it over to Rogue.

"Kurt!"

"Vhat?"

"Well, in the heat of the moment, a man isn't exactly thinking clearly-" Warren began and she splashed water his way. "Regardless, nothing happened. Last night, or any other night I've been in the room." She muttered, concentrating on a spot of sauce from dinner that refused to go away. "Mhm, that's why you've had this dreamy look in your eyes ever since you stepped out of that room, right?" Warren asked, eyeing her. "I finally got a 4 full nights of rest, Warren, don't ruin my mood." she said, sending him a look.

"Fine, you'll spill eventually."

"Vhy don't you mind your own business, Varren?" Kurt asked, holding a plate up to make sure he soaped it right. Warren let out a sigh. "What? Like you're not dying to know?" If Kurt was able blush, Rogue was sure he would've.

"Look, nothing ever happens. Scott always turns down the covers, we talk, occasionally we kiss and then we -"

"I knew it!" Warren shouted, throwing down the dish rag. Rogue closed her eyes and cursed herself when Kurt let out a laugh. "I knew it! I knew it!"

"What are you, seventeen?" Rogue muttered, grabbing another dish from Kurt's shaking hands. "Nah, just mildly curious." Warren responded, turning to look at her.

The dish crashed to the floor as Rogue fell back, her hazel eyes blank.

X

"How is she?" Logan asked, reaching his hand out from under the car for another wrench. "Normal as she can get, I guess." Scott said, metal clinking as he shifted tools around, looking for the wrench. "You think MJ was sent just to scare her?" Logan asked, grabbing the wrench from Scott's hand. "I think he was sent for something. Scaring her doesn't exactly come to mind.

""To kill her then?"

"Maybe." Scott said, leaning against the car. Logan let out a grunt and slid out, glaring at the new oil stain on his shirt. Scott chuckled. "Sorry." he muttered, reaching for a towel. "The Professor find anything out?" Logan asked, reaching for the towel. Scott shook his head. "He's been watching and waiting for four days and nothing has happened. I'm beginning to think the kid has given up."

"Maybe that's what he wants us to think." Logan murmured, handing the towel back over to Scott. "It's working. The first couple of nights, I was lucky to get Rogue to close her eyes, she was so scared. Now, she falls asleep so quickly." Logan slid out again to stare at Scott. Scott glanced down and because of the look on Logan's face, asked "What?"

Logan stared at him another moment before a smile crossed his face. "Fell into it, didn't you, bub?"

"What?"

"Don't worry, bub, like I said before. I've been in love with her since I saved her that cold, snowy day." Logan said, sliding under the car again. Scott grinned. "Yeah. Fell into it alright." He threw the wrench into the air, watching as it spun before falling. A shout brought his head whipping around, his heart stopping, as the wrench clanged onto the floor, uncaught. He heard as Logan slid out and bolted upwards, tools clattering as he began to run. Scott followed, hoping she was ok. Hoping Rogue was ok. Always hoping.

X

"This is getting extremely annoying." Rogue muttered, kicking a rock over the edge of the cliff. It rolled, kicking up dirt before landing into Alkali Lake with a _plop_. She turned, her hazel eyes regarding the redhead solemnly. "I'm…sorry…" Jean murmured, placing a small hand on Rogue's shoulder. "Yeah, sure." Rogue said without any real conviction, kicking another rock. Letting out a sigh, she faced Jean and asked, "So, what now?"

"Help…me…save…him…"

"Save who?"

"Save…him…help…"

"Can I get a name?" Rogue asked, grabbing Jean's shoulders. Jean glanced down at Rogue's hands before glancing back up. She shook her head and Rogue dropped her hands in exasperation. "How am I supposed to save 'him' if I can't get a name? MJ? Save MJ?" She asked, walking away. She turned to look at Jean when she remained silent. The redhead was deep in thought, her brown eyes tortured.

Rogue turned to walk back to her. "Look, these little 'visits' are useless unless you tell me something useful. Tell me what's going on! Tell me why you keep pulling me here!"

"You have to save him." Jean murmured, and Rogue stumbled back. "Whoa." she murmured, staring at her.

Jean reached up to touch her own throat, surprised that she didn't have to struggle to speak

Jean stepped forward. "She's going to kill you all." Rogue looked at her. "How come you can talk to me like that now?" She asked, staring at the redhead. Jean looked around. "It's too late now, it seems." She murmured, once again deep in thought. "Too late?" Rogue asked and Jean nodded. "What's too late? Why can you speak now?" Rogue reached up to grab Jean and stumbled when her hand went right through her. "Save him." Jean whispered, closing her eyes. Rogue felt it as she was pushed out.

X

She opened her eyes slowly, the hazel unfocused and blurry. She closed them again and moved her eyes around before opening them for a second time. A face came into view, it's edges fuzzy. She had to blink twice before Scott's face came into focus enough for her to recognize him.

"Ow." She muttered, reaching up to palpate the back of her head. She heard Scott let out a sign before he let out a shaky laugh. "Scared us there, Rogue." he murmured, gathering her in his arms. "What happened?" She asked, leaning her head against his chest, her mind fuzzy and the headache screaming like there was no tomorrow. "You passed out." She heard Logan's voice catch. "Yah, you just dropped." Kurt said, his hands working the beads that always seemed to be wrapped around his neck.

She remembered doing dishes and then suddenly, talking to Jean. Did she always pass out when she talked to Jean? She shook her pounding head, trying to remember their conversation. "Rogue, are you alright?" Scott asked, bending to place his forehead briefly against hers. She nodded and moved, successfully getting out of Scott's arms. She stood shakily on her own two feet, and asked "see?"

As if her body wanted to prove her wrong, a wave of dizziness swamped her and her knees buckled. She reached out and grabbed the counter, her hands slamming loudly, to keep herself upright. "Like hell you are." Scott cursed, scooping her back up. "damn." she muttered, leaning heavily into Scott.

A loud banging seemed to reverberate through the mansion. Everyone looked at each other. "Where did that come from?" Warren asked, his blue eyes suspicious. "That sounded like the front door." Logan said, beginning to stand up. "You sure?" Scott asked, glancing at the clock. Who came banging on their door at 10 at night?

"Positive." Logan said, cocking his ear towards the front of the mansion. The banging continued and Warren let out a curse. "whoever it is is going to wake up the rest of the mansion." He strolled out, Logan following him. "I'll be right back." Kurt said before teleporting from the room. They were left alone and Rogue let out a groan as her headache worsened. She closed her eyes, trying to fight back the pain as much as possible.

"You're going to bed." Scott said, his voice hard and final. She began to shake her head but stopped when he said, "This isn't an argument. You're going." He began walking, kicking the kitchen door open and turning to walk both of them through it. She kept her eyes closed, taking comfort in Scott's presence. She opened them again when she realized that Scott had to walk up the stairs with her in his arms. As much as the scene appealed to her, she wanted to walk by herself. She shifted, sliding out of Scott's arms and landing shakily onto the floor. "Rogue-"

"I can walk up stairs, Scott." she said, smiling. She winced when the motion sent her head jarring, but contained it as best as she could. They began moving again, Scott staying close to her side. She smiled, despite herself.

To get from the kitchen to the stairway that led up to their room, it was necessary to pass through the front door. Which meant they were going to see who was pounding on the door. She watched as they neared the arch, and her eyes showed confusion when she saw Logan take a hesitant step back. Kurt dropped his beads and Warren let go of the door, his blue eyes unwavering from their guest as his mouth seemed to drop open. She turned to look when they reached the entryway, craning her neck to see who it was.

Scott stiffened and for one, terrible moment, she thought someone was playing a horrible joke on them.

Jean stood in the doorway, her body drenched and her brown eyes tired. Her red hair was longer, almost reaching past the curve of her butt. Her hand reached forward, the black suit torn and tattered, Help…help me." She pleaded, stepping forward.

Rogue turned to look at Scott, and in that split second, saw a look cross his face. The headache slammed back into her, the pain almost making her eyes cross. Jean fell forward at the same time that Rogue's knees gave out, both women falling to the floor. Scott and Warren both dived, Warren reaching for Rogue while Scott reached for Jean. Always reaching for Jean.

Jean.

His love.

His life.

His everything.

Her heart shattered that night as the headache thrust her into unconsciousness.


	28. Jean was Back

Jean was back.

Almost two years after she supposedly died, and she was back.

Scott glanced down at the redhead in his arms, his heart in turmoil. The love of his life was back. He could hold her. He could touch her. Something seemed to slide over his senses, blinding him as Jean laid in his arms. His memories of the last year faded to be replaced by the intense love her felt for Jean. Something in the back of his mind nagged at him, told him something was off, but he ignored it. He didn't even glance at Rogue as he picked up Jean in his arms, much as he had done earlier with…what's her name….

He began walking and heard Logan following behind him.

Jean was back.

X

Warren glanced down at Rogue in his arms before he glanced back up at Kurt. The blue man shrugged. "So dat is the infamous Jean?"

"I guess so." Warren shifted, fitting Rogue more comfortably in his arms. "What happens now?" Kurt asked, eyeing the backs of the two men walking away. "You're guess is as good as mine. Let's get Rogue some help." Warren muttered, walking away. Kurt glanced at the front door before closing it. They missed the figure of the bird as it sizzled into the concrete.

X

She rubbed her temples, pushing thoughts of pain out of her head as she walked down the hallway to the infirmary. According to Warren, she had been out for 3 days. Three days! What the hell had put her out for three days? It had literally felt like she had closed her eyes for an instant and then woke up, three days later.

Kurt told her Scott hadn't left the infirmary since Jean came back, and neither had Logan.

The knot in her stomach tightened even more at the thought of Scott and Logan being attached to Jean's bed like there was no tomorrow. Was she worried? Hell yeah she was. With Jean back…what changed?

She pushed the button for the elevator and waited, closing her eyes to try and ease the pain behind them. She let out a sigh that turned into a shriek when someone tapped on her the shoulder. "God, Warren, don't do that." She muttered, hearing the elevator sing. She stepped in and held the doors open as Warren followed her. "Sorry, just checking up on you."

"I am fine, see?" she asked, hopping from one foot to the other. Warren chuckled when she stumbled a bit. "Ok, so, not _completely _fine." She muttered, pushing the button for the infirmary. "Hey, as long as you admit it. Going to see her?" Warren asked, nodding towards the button she had pushed. Rogue nodded, "I wanted to see if I could get Scott or Logan anything. Heard they haven't left the room yet." She turned to see him watching her with an odd look. "What?" Warren shook his head and said, "Nothing."

The numbers clicked by as they got lower and lower, finally reaching the bottom floor. She stepped out and Warren followed. "Did the Professor say anything about her?"

Rogue asked and Warren shook his head. "He said that he can't really figure anything out until she wakes up. Until then, they're focused on feeding and taking care of her body. The Professor said that she'd probably have to wake up on her own."

Rogue nodded. "her vitals are ok?"

"I don't know, this would be the first time I've seen her since she came back." Warren said, pushing open a door. "Thanks." she said absentmindedly, already hearing the slow beeps of the machine attached to Jean.

She looked small in the big bed, her red hair blanketing her slim shoulders. Her eyes remained closed and Rogue stared as Scott reached out to grab a small pale hand, Logan standing up, staring at him intently. She felt her heart drop, but continued forward, pushing the door open slightly.

What Logan asked Scott had her stopping from pushing it open all the way. She held up her hand when Warren began to speak, her eyes focused on the two men in the quiet room. "What about Rogue?"

"What about her?" Scott asked, never taking his eyes off of Jean. "You're just going to tell me that she means nothing now? Nothing because Jean is back?"

"Rogue is still important to me, but come on Logan. Life has given me another chance."

"What are you going to tell the kid?"

"she's a smart girl, she'll figure it out."

"She's important to both of us, Scott."

"Yes, Jean is." She heard Logan let out a sigh of exasperation. "Not Jean, Rogue."

"Who?" Scott asked, and her breath faltered. He was joking…right?

They'd been sorta kinda dating for almost a year…and Jean comes back and wipes that plate clean? Wipes everything they were just because she showed up at the door?

"Rogue, Scott, her name is Rogue! You know, the girl you claimed to love!" Logan and shouted. Scott let out a scoff. "You don't understand, Logan. Jean is back! I've been given another chance to be with the women I truly love!"

"You said you loved Rogue!"

Scott shook his head, laughing quietly. "I _loved_ Rogue. I _love_ Jean. We can be together."

"You're a smart guy, bub, think about Rogue! Think about what this could do to her!"

"What, the Untouchable? She told me herself she could never have a real relationship with me. I want to be able to touch, to feel the woman I love Logan. Rogue…is Rogue."

"She let you in, Scott, and you're going to throw her away like that? Like she's nothing?" Logan asked, his voice vibrating with fury. Scott stood up suddenly, his hand still clutching Jean's. "What are you so pissed about, Logan? Jean is back!"

"You don't see the way Rogue looks at you, do you bub? You love her! You told me yourself! I am pissed that you can throw Marie away like a used doll!"

"Are you trying to get me with Rogue so that you can have Jean, Logan? Huh!" Scott asked and Logan stepped back, surprise etched on his face. "Rogue is young, she'll find another. Right now, Jean is all that matters." Scott murmured, sitting back down slowly.

Rogue's hand shook as she reached up to clutch her chest. She let the door shut and began walking backwards, pain radiating through her body.

So this was what heartache felt like.

Warren watched her, his blue eyes troubled. She stumbled and he reached out to steady her. She shook her head and sent him a smile, her heart cracking. "I'm ok." She turned around and continued walking, wishing the metal shield could coat her heart too.

X

The mansion was in shambles once again. Almost two years after she "died", Jean had come back and had thrown the people, and the mansion, into an asunder.

A good one, this time. So it seemed.

Scott and Logan hadn't left the infirmary since Jean was admitted almost a week ago. Well, that wasn't true. They both had left to take showers and eat. Every other hour they were awake, they spent down there with her. Jean was in constant slumber, making tests easy to run. No one cared if she was awake or asleep. Everyone came and went, visiting Jean every so often.

Everyone but Rogue.

What was the point to go see her in the infirmary when Rogue saw her every other night in her dreams?

Jean never spoke, just sat there as Rogue cried her heart out. As Rogue cried over and over, the redhead sat there next to her on the cliff, her slim hand on Rogue's shoulder. Rogue felt nothing when she woke up and nothing as she continued the days like a robot. People expressed concern, and most of the time, Rogue smiled to hide the pain. The words "I'm ok." made of up most of her vocabulary.

Warren and Kurt watched her, wary, but even to them put on the mask.

The only time she ever cried was in her dreams.

She hated the way she seemed to break down at the thought of Scott. Or Logan. She was right back at where she had been a year ago. Shutting people out and staying quiet. She couldn't deal with anyone anymore. She couldn't deal with the pain of being in love and being rejected.

So, she coped the best way she thought she could.

Fighting.

She gave the droid another vicious kick, sending it flying. She heard the impressive chuckle from Warren, but ignored it, moving faster between the destruction. She jumped, sailing over a fallen pole, landing hard before stumbling up to continue running. Stupid danger room sessions were all getting monotonous suddenly. Every day spent in there because she couldn't stand watching Scott and Logan run around to take care of Jean.

Jealousy was a horrible, horrible feeling.

She saw the target ahead and kicked up dirt as she ran faster, wanting to suddenly end the mission. "Rogue!" Warren screamed and she turned in time to see the flying droid barreling right for her.

She waited for the familiar red beams to save her, to stop it. She waited so see Scott's face as the beam hit, nodding to her to continue.

She waited for him.

When she didn't see it, when she didn't hear him, the pain was so acute, she could've screamed from it. Her eyes stung, the red beams getting ready to power up, but she knew it was too late. She waited for the pain as the droid tackled into her. She let out a grunt when something lighter tackled into her and she was taken to the air. Arms wrapped around her waist, tightening comfortably. The sting faded and she glanced up to see Warren's throat as he visibly swallowed. He glanced down at her and smiled. "I got ya." she heard him whisper, before his white wings flapped, bringing them down to the orange flag. Their shoes clicked on the metal as they landed and Rogue reached out to rip the flag from it's post. She held it up and smiled for the first time in days.

The stimulation faded and the danger room came into focus, it's familiar metal walls shining. She dropped the orange flag and watched as that faded too. She glanced up and smiled at Warren, fighting back tears. "Thanks." she said, beginning to walk past him. "Are you alright?" he asked and she nodded, afraid she might cry if she spoke.

Warren's hand reached out and gently grabbed her wrist. "Don't…don't do that, Rogue."

"What?" She asked, turning around slightly. "Don't pretend like it doesn't hurt you. Not in front of me, please."

"It doesn't hurt me." She said, turning fully to face him. Warren reached out, his gloved hand sliding gently over her cheek. When his hand came away wet, she swallowed and rubbed her own hands across her face. She sniffed and said, "I'm fine." before turning back around. Warren watched her walk away, his words caught in his throat.

She wasn't fine. She was going to break soon, and he could feel it.

Everyone could.

He cleared his throat to speak and was interrupted when someone began banging on the danger rooms doors. Warren watched as Rogue glanced up, squared her shoulders and placed her hand on the scanner. The doors opened and Scott stood there, a smile splitting his face. "Jean is awake."


	29. A Room Full Of Memories

Eventually, she remembered how to talk. She remembered to act like Rogue, smiling as she passed on some sort of giddy relief. Scott wouldn't stop smiling and it chipped at the metal coat she had so desperately been building the last couple of days. The coat she had been building against feelings, against pain...against love.

She wondered if she had ever been able to make him smile the way he was smiling now. If she had ever been able to make him truly happy.

She nodded when he asked if she was coming down with him to see Jean and even passed up another fake smile when he asked if she was happy Jean was back.

Of course she was happy, she had told him, even when it felt like her heart was slowly bleeding, the cut bare and open. She heard Warren walking behind her and quickly made an excuse that she needed to go to her room to get something before she could see Jean. Before she could see anyone.

She left the danger room and made a show to be hurrying, bouncing on her heels as she waited for the elevator, running up the stairs as she faked impatience and even went as far as to yell to some kids, "I'm coming!"

But…

She didn't go to see Jean like everyone else did. Instead, she let everyone pass her as she made her way up to the room she had once shared with Scott. A room full of too many memories.

She passed kids as they yelled gleefully, Jean's names on their lips. She wished she could be like them. She wished she was excited to have a friend back. She wished she could be normal.

For one moment, she wished she was someone other than Rogue.

She wished she could be Jean.

She reached the door and stood in front of it, her body hesitating.

How many memories? How many laughs? How many tears? How much love?

She placed her hands on the cold wood and pushed, the door creaking slightly as it opened. She walked in and turned, looking down the hallway before she disappeared inside the room.

She closed the door gently, taking comfort in the small click as it shut. She glanced up and gazed around the room, noting the small things that had brought her comfort before. She began walking around slowly, touching things that brought memories.

Good ones.

Where had Scott gone? The Scott she had known?

Even if what he had felt for her hadn't been love, it had been something? How do you forget that in one day? Or even a week? How do you just bury those feelings for someone…without feeling some sort of remorse? Without feeling...anything? How can you forget it as if...as if it never happened?

She fingered the edge of a picture frame, staring at the happy Rouge and Scott that looked back at her. She let out a sigh as the memory washed over her.

_He pulled her back, his grip gentle. She turned and looked up, her eyes following the length of his arm to see what he was holding at the end of it. She smiled automatically when she saw the camera, her hazel eyes warm._

_The flash click and she heard the whirring as the ancient camera spit out the picture. She reached for it and let out a sigh when Scott went, "ah, ah, ah." And pulled it out first, fanning it so the picture could dry._

"_What was that for?" she asked, glaring at him as sunlight pounded on her back. She couldn't put any real conviction in the glare and instead laughed when Scott sent her a quick smile. "I wanted a picture of us together. Is that such a pain?" he asked. She rolled her eyes and reached for the picture. "Take another one. I wasn't smiling right the first time." Scott danced away from her and brought the picture up to eye level. She watched as his face softened and a small smile touched his lips. "I think you're smiling perfectly." He murmured, tucking the picture away._

She placed the picture frame back on the desk. She hadn't even been looking at the camera. She's been looking at Scott.

She continued through the room and smiled when she looked at the couch.

"_I hate winter. It's too cold." Scott muttered, sending her a look. "I didn't say I liked winter. Summer is just to hot. Autumn is the perfect season in my opinion." Rogue said, throwing a pillow at him. "Autumn, huh?" he asked, catching the pillow before bulleting it right back at her. She laughed as she bent, dodging the object. "Yeah, Autumn. I love watching the leaves change color. If you catch the sun on them exactly right, the tree can tell a story. The trees lose their leaves with the prospect of new life. And, the temperature is _just _right." she whispered, a small smile on her face as she glanced out of the balcony window._

_Scott smiled, not being able to help himself. "Stories huh? Autumn has always been my favorite season, but I have to admit, I never heard stories from the trees." He watched as she laughed, the sound going straight to his heart. "That's because you don't have a seasoned veteran such as myself to translate for you."_

_"Is that so?" he asked and she nodded. "Then, I should probably get a seasoned veteran the next time Autumn rolls around, huh?" She heard the teasing note in his voice and turned, her hazel eyes squinting at him. "I'll take you. You know, there are more subtle ways of asking-"_

_"It that a promise?"_

_"What?" she asked and he laughed. "Is that a promise? Translating trees for me." he asked and she smiled. She nodded, "Consider it a promise. I am not going anywhere before I can translate the trees for you."_

She felt the cold tear slide down her cheek and she reached up to brush it away. She sniffed, standing up from the couch as she did so. She passed the bathroom and sank to her knees as another memory passed.

"_Its not like you're trying to kill your gums, Rogue."_

_"You do realize you're telling me how to brush my teeth, right?" she asked, placing the unused brush on the sink counter. Scott gave her a serious look. "I consider oral hygiene very important, Rogue." She rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her hip and half-turning towards him. "I can't even brush my teeth in peace?"_

"_Not while I am around. Now, you can't just push so hard and see how much blood you can draw from your teeth-"_

_"I can brush my teeth by myself, thank you." She muttered, grabbing the toothpaste from him. "Not if you plan to do it like that." he said, reaching for it. She let out a squeal when the light blue paste squirted out, landing on the side of Scott's head. She let out a loud laugh, bending over to clutch her stomach. "You find that funny, huh?" She heard him ask and held up her finger, begging him to give her a minute to catch her breath. "Yeah? Funny, right?" He asked and she looked up in time to see him pointing the toothpaste tube at her. She let out a scream when he squeezed, sending some her way._

She grabbed onto the edge of the desk, using it to help her up. The memories swamped her, and suddenly she thought that maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. She was weak already and she'd only been in the room a couple of minutes.

Definitely a bad idea.

A really, really, really bad idea.

She struggled to her feet, her body protesting as she began to walk. She made the mistake of glancing over at the bed. She crumpled to the floor as the memory hit her.

"_I'm not Cinderella you know. I am not waiting in a dusty attic for someone to come save me." she muttered, shifting under the blanket. She heard Scott let out a sigh before he spoke. "I am not saying you're Cinderella, Rogue, but even you can't fight everything that comes your way. Let people in. Let people help you."_

_She muttered obstinacies as she turned away from him. It only lasted a moment before she turned back towards him. "I let people in." He scoffed. "It took me a couple of weeks for you to smile at me, Rogue. You don't let people in that easily." She stared at him, wishing he would turn to look at her instead of the damn ceiling. "I didn't say it was easy. I just said I let people in. Besides, you get hurt if you care too much."_

"_That's what makes you humane, Rogue." She sighed, shifting under the blankets again. "I just think that if you depend on people too much, something bad is bound to happen to you."_

"_It's ok to depend on people." She heard it when the bed sheets rustled as he turned to finally look at her. "It's ok to depend on me." he whispered. She smiled, a small, soft smile._

"_I'll keep that in mind, Scott." Her eyes widened when she saw him raise his hand, the shadow illuminated by the full-moon. He reached forward and hovered it inches from her face. She felt the warmth radiating off of it and sighed, her mind relaxing as she took comfort in his 'touch.' _

"_Let me protect, Rogue. Let me be your prince charming." he whispered and she let out a small laugh. "I'm still not Cinderella."_

_Their laughs echoed through the small room._

She opened her eyes, sighing as she breathed Scott's scent in from the blankets. She smelled herself too, a hint of Rogue that reminded her of what had transpired the past year.

She was still in love with Scott Summers. And he was in love with his dead girlfriend who finally came back.

She rolled into a ball, closing her eyes as she clutched the blanket that smelled like Scott.

Memories sucked.


	30. Cold, Metal, Heart

Someone screaming brought her out of sleep. She looked around groggily and noted that approximately 20 minutes had passed since she last closed her eyes. She shifted, throwing the wet blanket away from her. She rubbed at her eyes, the lids feeling like gravel as she blinked.

Someone screamed again, and she winced in concentration, trying to place the voice.

Was that Kurt?

She stood up and yawned, her body aching as she began walking. She made it over to the door and leaned against it, trying to cool her burning head. She wrapped her hand around the cool metal of the handle. She twisted it, slowly opening the door just as another shout came. "Rogue?"

That was definitely Kurt.

She squinted against the bright lights and stepped out, her eyes adjusting to the new brightness. "Rogue?" Kurt ran past her, screaming. She watched as he skidded to a stop and turn around. His yellow eyes widened as they landed on her. He walked quickly over to her, grabbing her gloved hand as he stared into her eyes. "What just happened to you?"

"What?

""Your eyes! They're all red…Oh, never mind! The Professor is calling for you!"

"Why?" she asked, wishing he would let her hands go so she could rub her eyes. She felt better when he released her hands, but winced when he grabbed her forearms. "There's something wrong with Jean!"

"So-" she began, but cut off when she felt the stinging sensation as it vibrated up her arms.

_Poof._

She let out a curse when she landed on her butt in front of the door to the infirmary. She let out another one when a chair came dangerously to lopping off her right shoulder. She scrambled to her feet only to fall to her knees as she was blasted by a wave of telepathy. She turned to face Kurt and yelled, "What the hell is happening?"

The blue man screamed, his voice trapped in a whirlwind of power. She shook her head, not bothering to ask him again and instead pushed herself to her feet once more. Her hair whipped around her as the winds of telepathy knocked between the walls of the infirmary. She reached out, throwing open the door as another wave hit her. She fell to all fours and had time to glance up to see Jean floating in the air before a desk was thrown out the door.

Rogue rolled to the right and gritted her teeth when the edge of the desk caught her arm. She ripped off the ruined glove and only gave herself enough time to wince at the gash.

She grabbed the edge of the open door and pulled herself through it.

She saw Scott first as he struggled to calm Jean down. His voice was drowned out by the screams of the objects that whirled around Jean. Another chair went flying and Rogue let out a scream when she saw it careening towards Logan.

The green beams shot out, catching the corner of the chair and throwing it against the wall before it reached Logan. Her dark green eyes stung as she began to move, dodging flying objects as she tried to reach Jean. She missed it when a needle strayed from the cycle and went bulleting towards her. The metal coat automatically responded, covering her body even before she had thought about opening Colossus's door or even the mental hallway itself.

Another object came flying toward her and she raised her hand, the stream of ice jutting out quickly before slicing the object in half. Her eyes stung and she grabbed onto a table as the green beam shot out, sending an object flying out of the cyclone of telepathy to land useless on the floor. She continued doing that, allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction as Jean's dead cyclone withered to nothing. She didn't have time to wonder why the powers were responding so quickly.

She saw her chance to stop Jean.

And she took it.

She let out a grunt when another wave threw her back a few more feet away from Jean. She felt the stinging coat her body before she teleported, landing a few feet closer to Jean than she had been before. She glanced over and saw a machine place closed to Jean. She jumped, landing on the one of the edges of the machines only to push off of it again. The metal coat disappeared and Rogue reached out with her bare, injured arm, reaching for Jean's cheek. Her hand had barely touched it before Rogue let out an agonized scream. Both women crumpled to the bed, the sounds of clattering objects as they hit the floor drowning out the other mutants.

X

"She calls herself the Phoenix." Jean told her, staring at the young woman before her. "The Phoenix?" Rogue asked turning, and Jean nodded. "She seems…strong." Rogue murmured, palpating the gash on her arm. It seemed even in her dreams she brought pain with her.

"you have no idea." Jean told her, taking a seat on the edge of the cliff. Rogue followed and dangled her feet over the edge. "So, tell me, is that you in the room with us? Right now?" Rogue asked, glancing over at the redhead. She was watching Jean carefully, so she noticed the small wince that crossed her face before she answered. "Kinda."

"That wince tells me different, Jean." Jean sent her a look. "Your new observational skills are annoying, Rogue." She shrugged and continued to stare at Jean. "Is that you in the room? Or are we saying…you're actually dead?"

"Kinda." Jean repeated and Rogue rolled her eyes. "I am not entirely sure myself yet. Something is happening right now, while we're here at the mansion. It's thrown everything I once thought I knew off."

"So what now?" Rogue asked and didn't like the sound Jean made as an answer. "Great." She muttered as the scene faded.

X

She opened her eyes slowly, wondering if her head was pounding because of the 'dream' or because she had hit something hard.

The second one proved true when she reached weakly up to her the back of her head and found a bump growing there. She let out a groan as she tried to sit up that turned into a scream when a pair of hands clamped down on her shoulders. She felt her eyes beginning to sting before she heard the voice.

Scott…?She turned quickly and he was right there, holding her. "Rogue, are you ok?" Scott asked, his hands beginning to reach for her face before he thought about it. They dropped back to his sides and she watched warily as he remained crouched there next to her.

She turned her head, wondering if she had landed in the twilight zone and saw Jean's body next to her. She jerked, her body automatically falling into Scott's arms before she had realized what happened. She jerked again, throwing herself out of his arms and began scooting back away from both of them as much as possible.

She clapped her hands over her head, fighting the voices that seemed to suddenly rise.

_Help me! Someone please help me! I don't want to be here anymore!_

_Stop crying you little brat! She killed us before you!_

_I've got to kill them. Kill them!_

_I don't like this place anymore! Mark, please help me!_

_I said stop crying!_

_The FOH will find you! Find you!_

_Rogue._

There! That was her name! That was who she was.

She was Rogue.

She opened her eyes, the dark green unfocused and fuzzy for a moment before she cleared it by shaking her head.

The voices remained, but there was one more added in there, helping her remember. Helping her fight.

"Rogue?" a voice asked hesitantly and she looked up to see her reflection in the lens of red glasses. She squinted, and focused more, Scott's face coming into view. "Thank god." He muttered before he reached for her, wrapping her in a hug. Her eyes widened in surprise and over Scott's shoulder, saw the odd look of confusion that Warren gave both of them.

Her hands, shaking and unsteady, reached up to wrap around Scott's back. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to smell him, to feel him.

The last week faded as she sat there, clutching Scott.

She knew it! She knew nothing had changed!

He pulled back and she almost cried when he brushed his hands over her cheeks tenderly. "I thought I lost you." He murmured, bending forward to place his forehead briefly on hers. She smiled and reached up the gloved hand to touch his cheek. "Scott-"

Jean moaned and Rogue watched with fascination as something shifted in Scott's face. He sat back and shook his head. "Scott-" Rogue started again before she was interrupted by a small, weak voice.

"Scott?"

He scrambled up and rushed over to her side, leaving Rogue alone. "My god, Jean! I thought I lost you! I love you so much, never do that to me again!" He whispered furiously, his words tripping over each other in a hurry to get out of his mouth.

Her heart, which she had foolishly let believe something had changed, cracked more, the metal coat breaking a bit more each second.

She stood up, a bit unsteadily, and began walking out. She passed Warren and Kurt, trying to drown out the voices of the couple on the floor. "Rogue-" Kurt began and she held up her hand to stop him. "save it." she murmured, turning away from him. She continued walking out, wondering if it was possible to cry your heart out.

Wondering if she had more tears left to cry.

She slowly built the metal coat back up around her heart, letting anger and resentment be the bricks. The pain was bearable enough if she didn't dwell on it. Instead, she let anger fuel her.

That was it.

Rogue was Rogue.

The Untouchable.

That's all she needed to remember.

X

"What?" Scott asked, alarmed. The three of them stood in the Professor's office, each contemplating a different thought. Rogue glanced up at her, feeling the traditional anger that had become custom the last 2 weeks. Anger towards Scott, towards the mansion and towards the people on the 'team.' She scoffed.

What a crappy team.

No one cared anymore and all they seemed concerned about was Jean.

She wished Kurt and Warren were next to her. The only friends she had left in the mansion.

"What are you saying, Charles?" Logan asked and her gaze shifted over to him. She felt the resentment cloud over her body and shook with it. The man who said he's always be there for her.

Bullshit.

She looked at Charles when he spoke. "I am saying, I can't get through to Jean.

""what does that mean, Charles?" Logan asked, placing his hands on the edge of the desk, leaning forward. "What that means, Logan, is that I can't find out what's wrong with her. Her mind is mass of jumbled thoughts and memories. If I tried to access it now, she could die."

"So, there's nothing we can do?" Scott asked, his voice angered and scared at the same time. She rolled her eyes, mimicking his words. Charles shook his head. "There is something…but it's a large risk."

"What?" Scott and Logan asked at the same time. She rolled her eyes again, letting the anger build another layer over her heart. "If I someone takes the thoughts out, leaving Jean's mind free, I might be able get to her without hurting her. I might be able to find out what's wrong." Charles murmured, glancing up at Rogue.

"What?" She asked, hating the tightening in her stomach. "Rogue, if you touch Jean for even a moment, it might ease the turmoil in her mind enough for me to-"

"No." She said simply, and her lip curled when Scott and Logan turned to glare at her. "I understand your feelings, and like I said, it's a large risk. I am not forcing you-"

"Why wouldn't you do it?" Scott interrupted the Professor, turning around to fully face her. She felt her anger pique when Logan did the same, the look on his face shooting another layer of bricks onto her cold heart. "What?" She asked again and didn't stumble back when Scott got in her face. Instead, she stood her ground. "Why wouldn't you do it? You're the only chance to save Jean and you won't do it?" Scott yelled, and for the first time in 2 weeks, she felt the coat chip. She squared her shoulders, her dark green eyes glaring at him as she stepped forward.

"I said no. I don't need to give you a damn reason." She turned quickly on her heel and walked out of the office.

* * *

uh-oh...no internet for two days!

well...crap. I'm trying to get as many chapters up as possible before the two day period, i promise to try not to leave any cliff hangers...or will I?

Thanks for the reviews guys, i love waking up (or falling asleep) with the possibility of knowing what you guys are thinking every time you read this. It's soo much fun to be writing this story now, especially since i am getting into the nitty gritty of it :D

Thanks especially to my loyal reviews, Marylouue, The Reserved Reader, Katie Moon, annependragon, Lost2bfound and so many others! You guys have no idea how much it means to me to know you're keeping with me through all of this :D

R&R XD


	31. Vlay Dis Hand

She kept walking, ignoring the running footsteps behind her. "Rogue!" Both men shouted, trying to stop her. But she ignored them, afraid of what her heart might do if she stopped and turned around.

"Rogue!"

She remembered when she used to love the sound of her name on Scott's lips. Now, she wanted to tear his eyes out for even thinking that he could say it.

She jerked out of his grip when she felt Scott's hand wrap around her wrist. "Hey!" he shouted, reaching for her again. She turned around, the anger turning her hazel eyes a dark green, and saw Scott take a wary step back. "Why?" Logan asked, his voice amazingly calm as he slowly stepped forward.

"I don't want to."

"Rogue, please. It could help Jean. It's not really your choice anyways-"

"Like hell it isn't!"

"Rogue!" She closed her mouth and kept it closed. Logan closed his eyes and his Adam's apple moved as he visibly swallowed. "Rogue…"

"Why do I have to do it? Why me?"

"You're the only one that can. We need to know what happened to her-" Logan began, reaching out to grab her hand gently. She jerked it away from him."There has to be another way. There always is."

"It's a jumbled mess up there, Rogue. She's not letting anyone through." Scott whispered, and she closed her eyes against the onslaught of feelings. She opened them again when she thought she had composed herself enough. " Jean's not letting anyone through, so you're going to force her-"

"We want to help her, Rogue." Scott replied, laying his hand on her shoulder. She wanted to puke. She had once wished for Scott's touch and now she revolted it. Jean comes back in the picture and suddenly, Rogue didn't matter. She closed her eyes at the horrifying reality that she still felt something for him. "Let go of me, Scott."

"Rogue-"

"I said let go of me." her voice shook and Scott raised his hand from her shoulder, startled by her tone. "You heard what the Professor said, right? He said her mind is a mess of jumbled thoughts, thoughts that were driving her insane. If I touch her and absorb it…what stops me from going insane?"

"You'll let the professor help you, Rogue. Jean won't." Logan told her, trying to reason with her."But what if I go insane? What happens to me?"

"You won't."

"Says who, Scott?"

"Jean is what matters right now, and you're the only one that can help her, kid." Logan interjected. "I am sure someone else can do it." She replied, fighting for herself. No one else seemed to be doing so. "Rogue, you're the only one who can."

"I could go insane, Logan! I could not be me anymore!"

"And I am telling you you'll be fine!"

"Logan, how can you say that? The risks-""we have to figure out what's wrong with Jean-" Scott began, but anger flared in Rogue and had jerking away from both of them. Jean this and Jean that. Jean needs help. Jean needs to be saved.

Jean, Jean, JEAN!

What about Rogue?

"I could go insane and all you guys care about is your precious Jean. Jean has to be helped, fuck Rogue, right? Right?" she asked, her anger rising. "Fuck the fact that Rogue might never be the same again. Fuck the fact that Rogue might lose her mind. Lets just save Jean and use Rogue as a stepping stone, right?" she yelled. No one noticed that the vase five feet away from them was trembling. "Rogue-"

"No, Scott! That's what you're saying! Jean comes back and suddenly I am useless except for one thing. To help Jean!"

"Listen Kid-"

"And don't you dare call me Kid, Logan. Don't think I don't know what goes through your mind when Jean is mentioned."

"Now that's enough!" Logan started while at the same time Scott said, "That's not how it is, Rouge."

"NO! That's not enough, Logan! And that's exactly how it is, Scott!" She screamed. She closed her eyes tightly, her body trembling. She opened them, her eyes flashing a bright green, in time to see both men ducking to avoid the vase flying towards them. It crashed against the wall, the noise it made shattering through her mind over and over. Both men turned to look at the vase before turning to look at her.

She was breathing heavily and her body wouldn't stop shaking. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. She gained control over her senses once again and slowly opened her eyes. Scott was there in front of her, reaching for her face and quickly she jerked away. "Rogue-"

"I'm fine." she replied quickly, avoiding his gaze. "Hey, Kid-"

"Don't, Logan." she muttered, an edge in her voice.

_Rogue, come and see me now_, The professor's voice rang through all their heads. She winced at his tone and turned towards the staircase without looking at either man. She avoided the crumbled mess she made of the vase as she walked up the stairs.

X

How do you lie to a telepath? Better, how do you avoid one? She fidgeted in the chair as Xavier crossed his fingers and placed his chin lightly on them and stared at her. She only met his gaze every so often, finding the stitching in the chair so much more riveting, "Rogue-"

She let out a sigh, "I know what you're going to say, Professor."

"Do you?"

"Do I realize how selfish I am being, right?"

"not necessarily." he muttered and she remained silent. "Rogue, when I suggested that you absorb Jean's thoughts, I wasn't trying to make it seem like you were the only choice."

"I know" she mumbled. "I was simply offering one solution to the problem at hand. It is entirely up to you to choose if you want to take that road."

"I know." she repeated, looking down. "Rogue." He paused. "Rogue." He said again more sternly. She raised her head to meet his gaze. "I am not trying to guilt you into trying this. Like I said, it's entirely up to you." There was a moment of silence before she spoke. "If…if I absorb Jean…will I absorb…her…" but, her throat closed up before she could continue. "Would you absorb her mental instability?" the Professor offered. She nodded. The Professor's brow furrowed. "Right now, with Jean in the state she is in, I am not sure, Rogue."

"Right." She muttered, sinking back into the chair.

Freakin' prefect.

X

"You refuse to help Jean?" Kitty screamed, glaring at Rogue as she exited the Professor's office. Rogue resisted the urge to roll her eyes and instead walked away. "Hey. Hey! I was talking to you!" she heard Kitty scream before Rogue heard running. She stepped smoothly to the side, avoiding the small child as she came barreling forward. She reached out and grabbed the back of Kitty's shirt, stopping her from falling flat on her face.

Kitty turned, spitting fire. "Why won't you help her?"

"News travels fast, huh?"

"You're being such a selfish bitch-"

"You're being a child." she let go of Kitty and began walking, not allowing her fragile emotions to surface.

"We can figure out what is wrong with Jean and you refuse to help! Isn't she your friend?" Kitty followed her, and Rogue rolled her eyes this time when Kitty grabbed her arm. "All you have to do is touch her and that's it! Why can't you do that one thing?"

"Just touch her Kitty? Do you even realize what you're asking me to do?" She barely restrained the anger in her voice, knowing what could happen if she let it control her emotions like before. She restrained it…barely.

"I am asking you to help Jean! I am asking you to bring her back to us! One simple touch!"

"What do you know about touching!" Rogue screamed, her green eyes filling with power. Kitty took a step back, but didn't let go of Rogue's wrist. She squared her shoulders and sneered, her voice already like an annoying fly to Rogue. "I know that you're refusing to help Jean, even though you know she would do it for you! You're that jealous of her and Scott!"

"I am not refusing to help Jean because she's in love with Scott." Rogue's voice lowered, the tone menacing and harsh.

Two weeks.

Two weeks where they had all ignored her. The only people that ever spoke to her had been Kurt and Warren. Her only friends.

Two goddamn weeks and just because suddenly she could help Jean, she was important again. Her anger added to her power. This time, the anger was all her own. There was no influence from any psycho telepath or altering personality.

This was anger due to finally realizing her own injustice.

"I am not refusing because I feel something for Scott."

"Like hell! I know-"

"You know nothing, Kitty!" Rogue screamed, her bright eyes flashing with anger. "Do you even know what could happen to me if I touch Jean right now? If I absorbed her? I could die! I can go insane and die, Kitty! Sorry if me refusing to help seems selfish! Sorry if I refuse to end my own life that way!" she finished and watched with satisfaction when Kitty paled. She tugged her arm out of the small grasp. "You don't know a damn thing." Rogue muttered, walking away.

X

She threw another rock, watching as it viciously skidded across the water's surface. "I mean, what the hell did they think I was going to say? 'Yes, pick me! Because I want to end my life just so I can save the precious Jean!'. Yeah right." she picked up another rock and threw it in the air before catching it again. She chucked it at the water and fumed further when it sank to the bottom right away.

"I don't understand. Vhy can't da Professor help her?" Kurt asked, trying desperately to get a rock to skip. He let out a curse when it sank to the bottom right away. Rogue smiled a bit before answering. "He's trying. He said he can't get through the jumbled thoughts without killing her."

"So, why even suggest it if he knows it could kill you?" Warren asked, throwing her another rock as he shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position to sit with. She let out a sigh, some of her anger withering away by just being with the two. "I might be the only option they have left." She muttered, throwing the rock in her hand before catching his. "Den, dere is no oder way?" Kurt asked, twisting his body to try and get the right angle to skip the rock. He threw it and let out another curse when it skipped once, only to sink to the bottom again.

She shook her head. "They can't find any other way."

"Not that I think you're being selfish or anything, cause you're not, but if it's the only way to save Jean…why not?" Warren asked. She turned around, incredulous. "What?"

He shrugged before answering. "Why not just try?"

"I am not going to do it just because everyone loves her-"

"then don't do it for her. Do it for you." He glanced up and watched as the anger dissipated, leaving her body slowly. He smiled before glancing away. "Do it for me?" She asked and Warren nodded. "You're letting your anger for Scott, Logan and the mansion cloud your judgment. The Rogue I know would at least try. She'd at least fight for it."

She sighed, walking over to plop down next to Warren. "That's not fair." She muttered, hanging her head between her shoulders. She heard the _poof_ before Kurt appeared next to her. She glanced up to see him smiling, his yellow eyes bright. "Rogue, if you don't do dis and something happens to Jean, you'll be more pissed at yourself zen at ze people in ze mansion." Kurt said softly, patting a blue hand on her shoulder.

She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on them. "That's not fair." she repeated, letting out a sigh as her anger died down completely. "Life isn't fair, Rogue. You vlay ze hand you're given. Vight now…vlay dis hand. Ve'll ve dere for you." Kurt wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah, we're here. Take comfort in that." Warren murmured, reaching out to wrap his arm around her other shoulder. They sat like that in front of the pond, the wind whistling through the trees behind them.

There, Rogue made her decision.


	32. Another Personality

They all stood around the white bed, the redhead in it unmoving and unconscious. She had only woken twice during the last two weeks, and those two times…someone almost ended up dying.

Rogue didn't speak to anyone. Didn't glance at anyone. Kurt and Warren were two steps right behind her, Kurt ready to teleport them out in case something happened to her. She took comfort in his presence, just like he had told her to.

She heard Warren's wings shuffling and she smiled, amused at the subtle way he expressed his anger at the mansion.

Scott and Logan were staring at her from the other side of the bed, while The Professor was seated next to her, waiting. "Are you ready, Rogue?" he asked and barely restrained a chuckle when she slid him a dark look.

"Let's just get this over with." she muttered, pushing up the sleeve of her shirt to catch the upper part of her glove. She pulled it down, tugging the fingers away before it slid off, revealing the 16 inch gash going up her arm.

She heard the sharp intake of breath from Logan and glanced up to see both men looking at her. "What?" She asked and Scott began moving, stepping slowly behind Logan as he made his way over to her. "Rogue-"

"Stay away from me, Scott." she said, cutting him off. She glanced down at the beginning scar and winced. "This," she raised her arm, "is nothing compared to what you guys have been doing to me the last 3 weeks." She glanced around the room at each person, watching as some of them bowed their heads down in shame before looking at her. Kitty, Bobby, Piotr, Logan and Scott kept looking at her and she felt nothing but pity for them. "Just so we know, I am not doing this because I love Jean and I am still stuck in the past. I am doing this for me. Selfish or not, I am doing this for me."

She raised her hand, the ugly red scar bright against the white bed sheets, and reached towards the redhead. She felt the soft skin beneath her hand before the pull began. Rogue closed her eyes, beginning to already fight the thoughts and memories that bombarded her. Soon, though, she began to feel that something was off-something was wrong. She fought harder and let out a small gasp as began to take over her body. She felt the tremors starting, her body tearing apart as _something_ battled inside her.

She pulled her hand back when someone screamed. She watched in horror as Jean convulsed, her entire body shaking. Jean gripped the bedcovers, her black eyes rolling to the back of her head. Her body snapped, her midsection jerking off the bed as she let out a cry.

Rogue fell to her knees, her body reacting to the war of personalities inside her. She gripped the metal frame, bending the stature as her body began shifting, changing. She jerked as another scream echoed through the room, trying to stop the onslaught of powers. She felt the wings sprout out of her back, her eyes stinging as the optic beams powered up. The metal coat began to form, spreading across her body as ice coated her hands. The gash on her arm began to heal, the ugly red scar puckering into a pink one before almost disappearing completely, leaving only a small line behind. Someone shouted her name and she began to shake. Another scream tore through the room and dimly, Rogue began to recognize her own voice. It had been her screaming all along.

X

_What was that feeling she was experiencing? Was it fear?_

_The water washed over her and she gagged, trying to get air. She watched as the black jet disappeared, her power aiding it. Her eyes burned and she felt something simmering beneath her skin._

_Her body seemed to be on fire. It hurt but at the same time…felt so alive. Well, was it still her body? She reached out, wondering if her hand was still…her hand. Something jerked inside her and she bent, trying to ease the pain._

_A voice seemed to slide over her senses, taking her over. She fought, trying to maintain control of her own body. But, the other thing was stronger. It's black eyes smiled and Jean cried out as her body began shaking._

_She had allowed it to take her over to save the people she loved…and now, it was staying. She had let it finally win. She had let the Phoenix win._

_It had been fear she had been feeling._

X

She woke up with fear trapped in her throat.

Fear trapped in her body.

It wasn't normal fear. It was a cold, numbing type of fear that scorched her to her bones. It was a fear that she never wished she could experience.

It was the fear of losing everything you were, everything you worked for, to another person entirely. To allow yourself to disappear and be replaced by something worse. The fear of being you…but not being you.

She opened her eyes, hating the fear that coated her body and her senses.

She would never let herself be that vulnerable. She wouldn't give the other personality the chance to take control, to take her over.

Rogue closed her eyes, picturing the mental hallway. She reached for one of the many doors and pulled her hand back when a large marble door fell, blocking her from all the others. She squinted as she read the name and let out a gasp, the mental hallway disappearing.

She wasn't going to use those powers anymore. She wasn't going to let it take her over.

She was Rogue.

Rogue.

* * *

Sorry, i know this chapter was short, but i wanted to get this part through. The chapter itself is really important, and i didn't ant to ruin it's 'effect' by adding more.


	33. Kitty's Apology

Jean was awake.

Rogue glanced up, her brown eyes crossing from boredom as Scott continued to speak. Every other word was 'Jean' anyway,

He wouldn't stop smiling at Rogue, his face bright with love and light.

For Jean.

Rogue couldn't find the strength, or the heart, to smile back so she just glanced back down at her hands. She heard him clear his throat and continued, not noting the new tone tinged with a hint of loss.

A week Jean had been awake and life continued on as if nothing had happened. As if nothing had changed.

But, something had.

Jean wasn't…_Jean._

Rogue wondered if she was the only one who noticed it. Maybe it had been because she'd been looking for it, but Jean wasn't the way she used to be. Granted, people logically changed as time progressed, but Rogue doubted it was like the way Jean had.

She didn't have tolerance for _anything._ Whereas the old Jean had once been nice and forgiving, this Jean was violent. She lashed out at anything she didn't agree to and objects shook or broke when things didn't go her way. This Jean was quiet, always letting Scott of Logan fight her battles. Not only would the old Jean have fought for herself, she would've clawed the guys' eyes out for even thinking that she needed someone else to fight for her.

The Jean with them right now was a stark contrast to the Jean Rogue spoke to every so often in her dreams. That Jean was more like the Jean she remembered, the Jean who had cared. The Jean who had loved and lived.

The Jean that died.

As the days passed, others noticed it too.

Bobby had gotten into a fight with her one day when she accused him of trying to break her and Scott apart. He yelled and she screamed, the fight seeming so childish if anyone bothered to look back at it. Not even 5 minutes had passed after it ended when Bobby was hurt, a large brick coming loose from one of the mansion's walls and hitting him over the head.

Piotr got into it with her when he had eaten the last of Jean's favorite cereal. He ended up in the infirmary with a long cut on his arm from a piece of glass that he had "tripped" onto.

Warren and Kurt were her new targets one day for bumping into her while playing around outside. Kurt had surfaced unscathed and Rogue was still visiting Warren in the infirmary every couple of hours, seeing if his broken wing healed correctly.

In a time span of a week, every one of the X-men seemed to get hurt one way or another.

Except Kitty.

That changed one fateful day.

Rogue walked out of her room, tightening one of the gloves on her hand, dangling the other from her teeth. She heard screaming and her heart dropped, wondering which one of her friends would suffer the wraith of Jean now. She broke into a run, almost flying down the stairs as she began following the screaming that was coming from the common room.

She skidded to a halt, grabbing the edge of the entryway to stop herself as she stared at the scene in front of her.

Kitty was crying, Bobby was pissed and Jean was smiling. "What's wrong, Kitty? Don't trust your own boyfriend?" Jean asked, her voice like smooth velvet. "Kitty, nothing happened…please, you have to believe me." Bobby pleaded, reaching for the small girl. Kitty tugged away from hi,, hiccupping as the sobs continued.

"You know, you should really keep a tighter leash on your men, child." Jean said, her smiling spreading. "I don't understand! W-w-why are you doing this?" Kitty screamed, her little body shaking as the tears continued. "Doing what?" Jean asked, a slim eyebrow raising. "Kitty, please stop-" Bobby began, but was interrupted as Kitty fought. "NO! Why are you doing this Jean? I know you! You're not like this-"

"You know nothing about me." Jean whispered, her smile fading as her eyes darkened. "You know nothing about anything. Don't assume you know anything." she continued, her pale hand reaching forward to wrap around Kitty's small wrist. Rogue watched as the small face contorted with pain, the brown eyes widening as Jean continued. "You know nothing. You know nothing about me, or anything about anything else. You hear me! You hear me!"

Rogue didn't know why she interrupted. It wasn't exactly like she liked Kitty or anything, and she was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. But, even Kitty didn't deserve Jean messing around with her.

"If you keep that up, you'll make more enemies then friends." Rogue murmured from the doorway, watching as the redhead turned slowly to look at her. "Excuse me?"

"If you keep hurting people, you're not going to last long here." Rogue said, her face expressionless. Show no emotion and you don't get hurt.

Jean let out a humorless laugh. "I am not doing anything. Kitty here came in on Bobby and I 'together' and jumped to the wrong conclusion."

"You were kissing him!" The little girl shouted, trying to tug out of Jean's grasp. Rogue watched as it tightened and didn't miss the small sound of distress coming from Kitty. Rogue ventured deeper into the room and glanced at Bobby. His head was up, blue eyes warped with fury as he gazed at the redhead.

Rogue let out a chuckle and the smile disappeared from Jean's face. "I don't see what's so funny. This man has committed another act of infidelity on his _second_ girlfriend and you find it funny-"

"No, what I find funny is that you think you can tear them apart with a kiss. You're master plan is duped, especially since Bobby is anything but ashamed of what he has done. If there was any sort of rendezvous going on, then Bobby wouldn't be pissed more than he was shameful. The only thing you accomplished was making Kitty cry."

Rogue reached out her ungloved hand and placed it dangerously close to the hand that Jean had wrapped around Kitty's wrist. She saw the fear that came and went in Jean's eyes before she let go, a red mark beginning to form around the small girl's wrist. "Come on Kitty." Rogue murmured, grabbing the shoulder of the small girl before she turned around to leave the room.

She missed the dark, black look that Jean sent her way.

X

"If you keep crying, you're just going to make her happier." Rogue muttered, leaning forward to place her elbows on her knees. She glanced out at the yard from her perch on the bench. The same bench where Bobby had told her to leave the mansion. She let a small smile grace her face. How small that matter seemed now.

She heard Kitty's pitiful attempts to try and stop and only let out a sigh when the cries continued. There was no possible way they were only a year apart.

"I am sure Bobby has a logical excuse as to why-"

"I am n-n-not crying b-b-because of th-that." Kitty stuttered, sucking in a breath. "I am c-c-crying because J-J-Jean isn't like I re-rem-remember her."

Rogue let out another sigh.

"You finally noticed, huh?" she mumbled, more to herself then to Kitty. "I d-d-don't understand! W-Why is she d-d-doing this?"

"Kitty, things are a lot harder to explain then-"

"That's not her, is it?" Kitty whispered, her big brown eyes staring into Rogue's. Rogue opened her mouth to speak, only to close it. "Well." She began, and left it at that. Kitty nodded. "I figured so, I guess. It didn't seem to be like her ever since…you woke her up."

Rogue waited a moment before speaking. "Jean is dead. What's there…isn't her." She murmured, a small tear sliding down her cheek. Kitty watched, surprised to hear the emotion that covered Rogue's voice.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Kitty asked, her voice small and weak. Rogue glanced at her, surprised. "What?"

"You had your own way of coping, but…you loved Jean too, right?" Rogue stared at her for a long minute before she nodded, turning away. "I miss her so much." Kitty muttered, her small hands reaching up to cover her eyes. Rogue watched as she cried and hesitantly reached out her hand. She placed it on Kitty's thigh and squeezed slightly to grab her attention.

When Kitty glanced up, Rogue was crying. "I am sorry for killing her." Rogue whispered, hating that out of all the people to see her cry, Kitty had to be it.

Kitty glanced down at Rogue's hand before she glanced back up, her brown eyes swimming in tears. "No, I am sorry for blaming you. You…tried to save her at least. I was just so mad I was useless and I took it out on you." She hiccupped, trying to fight back the sobs as she continued. "You were the only one I could blame, so I blamed you. I miss Jean…but Rogue, you were always there, no matter how much I hated you. You saved me on that field and you brought Jean back to life." She smiled, a wobbly, watery smile and placed a small hand on Rogue's arm. "You were right, when you said I hated you for becoming the new center of attention. Here Jean was dead and everyone seemed to put you in her place. You were the new Jean…and I resented that. I guess…I never understood what you were going through…and I am sorry for that." She whispered the last part, leaning into the taller mutant. Rogue's eyes widened in shock as Kitty's small head rested on her chest. "I am sorry, Rogue. For everything." Kitty whispered, and soon, the sobs started up again.

And Rogue held the small girl through it all.


	34. Danger Room Fun

Rogue had been right.

Jean had no friends left in the mansion, except for Scott and Logan.

No one spoke to the redhead and she was avoided at all costs. It wasn't the Jean they had once knew, and everyone had no interest in getting to know the new Jean.

Rogue let out a grunt when Piotr knocked her back a couple of paces. She retaliated, throwing her weight around as she tried to push him back more.

Someone shouted a cheer and she laughed when she recognized Kurt's voice. Her brown eyes flicked up to find him before she heard Piotr laugh too. "I can't even get one training session in without you guys screwing around, can I?" he muttered, slicking sweat off his forehead as Kurt poofed away from him. "Dis is voring, ve vant to fight too!" Kurt said, bouncing as he poofed around the room. "You're like an energizer bunny, Kurt, can't you stop and focus for two seconds?" Kitty muttered from her perch on the ground. Kurt appeared in front of her and she stifled a scream as he poofed away again.

"Hey! That's not funny!" she screamed, but she smiled and laughed despite herself. She glanced up and her eyes connected with Rogue's gaze. The smile on her lips widened and she shrugged before turning to her left to speak to Warren.

Rogue smiled and glanced up when Piotr muttered, "One more time, Rogue." She watched as his metal coat covered his body and he held up a hand, his two fingers bending in a 'come here' motion. She felt the dread settle in her stomach as she watched his power in action.

She envisioned the mental hallway again. The doors teased her and she reached out towards Colossus's door. The marble door slammed down in front of her again and she stepped back, staring at it. The name scrawled on it had her jerking her eyes open, the brown depths filled with fear.

She held up her hand to stop Piotr as the familiar headache began forming. Piotr relaxed and gave her an odd look. "Why aren't you using your powers?" he asked, and she dreaded the moment when she had to answer him. He watched her, and her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Warren glanced up and saw her hesitate to answer.

He held a hand up to silence Kitty and stood up, walking slowly over to Rogue. He touched her lightly on the shoulder and watched as she turned to stare at him, the brown filled with an emotion he couldn't place. "Did you lose it when you woke up Jean?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Regardless, all the chatter in the danger room stopped and everyone glanced over at her.

She opened her mouth to answer and heard the anger in Bobby's voice. "Of course that witch took away Rogue's powers. It was only a matter of time before she screwed all of us over." He muttered, his hand curling into a fist. "Bobby-" Kitty began, standing up to walk over to him. "Iceman's right. Rogue shouldn't have to suffer because she wanted to help the witch." Piotr said, reaching out a large hand to place on her shoulder. She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I don't need my powers to kick your ass." She told him trying to lighten the mood.

And it worked.

Bobby's face split into a smile as Warren stifled a laugh. Piotr glared at her, the effect diminished when he laughed. "Are you challenging me?" he asked and Rogue danced away as he reached for her. She smiled for a second but let out a huge laugh when Piotr began running after her.

Kurt clapped and poofed around the room as the chase began. She screamed, her laugh mingling in with it, when Bobby's ice skidded across the floor. She watched as Piotr began slipping and sliding, his face in deep concentration.

She doubled over with laughter when he fell on his butt, cursing up a storm. The laughter turned into another scream when Kitty and Warren phased out from the ground, both of them reaching for her. She smiled when she heard the poof, and grabbed onto a laughing Kurt as he teleported them to safety.

They landed in front of the doors and she reached to high five him just as the doors slid open. The laughter faded when Rogue glanced over and her eyes found Scott's glasses staring at her. She heard the crackling of ice as Bobby's power was dismissed and heard the heavy footsteps of Piotr as he came walking over to them. The whoosh in the air stopped as Warren landed gracefully next to them, depositing Kitty on the ground.

All six of them stood like that, a guarded force against the other three. Jean smiled and glanced around the room. She opened her mouth to speak and Bobby interrupted her. "What are you doing here?"

The smile remained on her face, but her eyes darkened as she spoke. "We heard laughter and was wondering what all the commotion was about."

"We're training." Kitty said, and her small shoulders squared up at she gazed at the redhead. "We didn't authorize anything-" Logan began Rogue cut him off, her anger simmering. "You didn't have to. I did." Logan glanced down at her and she was struck by the simple fact that this would have been the first time in almost a month that he had even noticed her. Her brown eyes shifted over to Scott and she watched as his jaw clenched.

"You don't have the authority-" Scott began, and Rogue cut him off too. "The Professor and Ororo said I was old enough, and experienced enough, to run a training session." She finished and glared at him, wishing…for something.

She hated him, but oh did she love him too. Her heart wasn't nearly as protected as she wished it was when she was around him, and she'd admit in a heartbeat that she still wished he would explain himself.

That he would fix her bleeding heart.

Ignorance was worst then fighting, and the way he'd been treating her since Jean showed up that life-altering night was painful. Scott who promised to be her prince charming was turning out to be the evil villain.

"Ah, I see. Well, do you mind if we join in on the fun?" Jean asked, her voce sweet. She heard Warren scoff behind her. "We're almost done." He muttered and the memory of his broken wing flashed through her mind. "Well, then you won't mind showing us what you guys have learned, right?" She asked, crossing her arms.

The group turned to look at each other and Kurt spoke up. "Vell, ve really vanted to catch de late night showing ove dat one new movie-"

"I am sure this would be quick, especially since you guys are all trained, right?" Jean asked again and her gaze roamed across the line of 6 people. Her black eyes landed on Rogue and she spoke again. "You guys can show us hoe well your training is going…right?"

It was a challenge.

Rogue knew it and she knew the others knew it too. Their stances changed from relaxed…to something entirely different. Rogue lifted her chin. "Only if Professor Logan and Professor Summers allow it."

She watched something slide over the faces of the two men. Regret? Remorse?

"Scott." Scott said automatically, correcting her. She glanced at him. "I don't call my teachers by their first names unless we're friends."

She heard the laughter and chuckles behind her and smiled, her heart calling out to Scott at the same time. Something shifted over his features and he reached out towards her. Jean glanced over her shoulder and Scott stepped back, his face bare. "I didn't think so." Jean muttered and Rogue paled at the true power Scott's love for Jean was.

Logan cleared his throat. "I want to see myself how well you guys are doing."

"The you probably should've been here the last 10 sessions we had." Kitty said, her voice holding a bit of bite. "Down tiger." She heard Warren mutter.

Logan cleared his throat again, ignoring her comment. "We'll spar-"

"No, we'll battle in teams." Jean interrupted, her black eyes shining. Her long hand reached up and pointed at Rogue, Kurt and Warren. "You three, versus us 6." She smiled.

Piotr stepped forward. "That's unfair. Rogue can't use her powers, so we should-"

"You can't use your powers?" Scott asked, alarmed, stepping forward. Jean shot another look over her shoulder at him and he stepped back. "You three will do." Jean said, a note of finality in her voice. "Besides, I won't be fighting. I will be the target."

"Who'd want you?" Bobby muttered and Rogue suppressed a smile. Jean ignored him. "You're job is to protect me. If Rogue can get to me, then we lose. It's as simple as that."

"Fine." Rogue said and ignored the looks that everyone sent her. Her eyes were only focused on Jean. "Dis is gonna ve interesting." Kurt murmured, fingering his beads.


	35. Betrayel

Twenty minutes later, and Rogue was regretting her decision. She was no closer to Jean than she had been 10 minutes ago. She jumped, dodging another one of Piotr's attacks.

She heard Kurt scream and glanced up in time to see him take down Kitty, his yellow laughing when she let out a grunt.

Warren flew around,grinning as he dodged attack after attack from Logan and Scott.

She closed her eyes, wishing she could have the fun they were having. She tried to picture the mental hallway again and growled in frustration when the marble door stood in her way. She opened her brown eyes in time to see Piotr running towards her. She jumped in the air, her body responding automatically, just as Logan and Scott had taught her all those months before. She twisted, her foot reaching out to catch Piotr in the back of neck.

She felt something stir deep within her and smiled, a realization dawning on her.

She glanced up and her brown eyes connected with Jean's black ones. She smirked.

She could still stop Jean without her added powers.

All she needed to do was touch her.

She began running, her mind working out a scenario. She skidded to a stop when Logan jumped out in front of her. She hopped back when she heard the slice of his claws through the air as it came towards her. She heard him growl and let out one of her own as her fist came up to connect with the side of his face. She heard the crunch of bones and smiled despite herself.

She jumped, twisting in the air as she landed another kick across his face. She listened to his grunt of pain with satisfaction a moment before she continued running, getting closer and closer to her target. Kitty came barreling at her, her face contorted with worry and regret. Rogue jumped and watched as Kitty followed. She allowed herself one small smile as she reached out, grabbing a surprised Kitty by the collar of her suit. She pulled Kitty towards her only to throw her violently back towards the ground. "Sorry!" She screamed and heard Kitty let out a laugh.

So, they all could still laugh with each other even when fighting against each other. She took comfort in her _friends._

She knew she hadn't done any permanent damage to Kitty. Danger room stimulations weren't made to hurt others. They were made to train.

She landed on a knee and a foot, searching frantically for Jean. She heard a screeching beside her and turned, not having enough time to roll to the side as Piotr came running towards her. She heard a _poof_ and closed her eyes when Kurt wrapped his arms around her.

_Poof_

"Almost had it!" She heard Piotr shout with a laugh as she landed, finally being able to perfect it.

She smiled as the blue smoke swirled around her. She nodded towards Kurt before jumping to her feet, running towards Jean once more. She saw Bobby touching the ground in front of her. She had a moment to curse before the saw the ice spread, coating the bottom of the danger room floor. She jumped high, hoping she could somehow slide the rest of the way to Jean.

She heard a _whoosh _and raised her arms. Warren's arms wrapped around her armpits, lifting her as she watched the ice slide across the floor. She laughed in giddy relief and heard Warren doing the same. She raised her hand and pulled off a glove, her feet dangling over the unprotected Jean. She felt Warren let her go and she dropped, her hand reaching out.

She considered actually touching Jean for a moment. Touching her long enough to at least knock her unconscious. She even imagine wrapping her hand around that slim white throat, holding long enough to kill her. Long enough to end the reign of the Phoenix.

But, danger room sessions were meant to train. Not to hurt.

At the last moment possible, she flipped back, landing on her hands and feet. She saw the surprised look on Jean's face, the black eyes strange against the pale skin. In that one, hushed moment, Rogue had won. She stood up, opening her mouth to speak.

The pain hit her like a spear, spreading across her chest and growing with each passing millisecond. She let out a scream as she flew back, her brown eyes closed tightly. She slammed against the wall, the red beams cutting up as she slid down, rolling weakly to her side.

"Rogue!" someone screamed, and dimly she connected it to Warren's voice. She heard running and opened her eyes slowly to see a blurry blue figure and a blurry blonde one. She closed them again and let out a groan, struggling weakly to her hands and knees. "Ouch." she muttered, the pain in her heart overshadowing the pain in her chest. "Rogue, are you alvight?" she heard the blue man ask and she nodded, before trying to stand up.

She heard yelling, Piotr's voice against Logan, Bobby's against Scott's. She managed to stand on her own two feet for a couple of seconds before the pain had her doubled over. Warren reached out and caught her around the waist, growling when she began too protest. He bent, hooking his arm behind her knees before picking her up. He growled again when she started to speak. "You're quiet for right now." he muttered before stalking over to the bickering people.

"Why'd you hit her for?" Piotr yelled over Logan's shoulder, trying to muscle his way over the hairy man. "She was going to attack someone on our team-" Scott began before he was interrupted by Kurt. "She vasn't going to do nothing!"

"I saw her! She had taken her glove off and was going to touch Jean!" Logan yelled, pushing Piotr back another step. "Rogue had completely stopped! She wasn't going to do anything!" Bobby screamed, trying to get over Scott. Kitty pushed with them and growled when she glanced over at Rogue. "That was completely unnecessary!" Kitty yelled, fear curled deep in her stomach.

Jean spoke. "If you guys were focusing instead of fooling around, Rogue wouldn't have gotten hurt." A small smile tugged at her lips. "Yeah, Rogue wasn't pay attention-" Scott began.

"No! That was a cheap shot, Scott, and you know it!" Bobby screamed and Rogue fought the urge to want to puke. She buried her face in Warren's chest, trying to quench the pain. He felt her body go limp as she passed out and Warren felt his anger begin to simmer. He knew Rogue had a high pain tolerance…and that she had been hit by Scott's power before. If she hadn't passed out then…than something had been different now.

"Just how high was your beam set, Scott?" Warren asked, his voice so low, everyone straining to hear it. They hadn't missed the anger though. That, everyone had heard loud and clear.

"What?"

"How high was your beam set?"

"high enough." Scott said, stepping forward. Jean reached out and wrapped a slim hand around his wrist. Scott turned and his face softened when he glanced at her.

It fueled Warren's anger even more.

"Why'd you hit her?" He asked, his voice remarkably even. Scot glanced up and Warren saw his jaw harden. "I hit her because she was going to hurt Jean."

"What if Jean was going to hurt her?"

"Jean didn't-"

"And neither did Rogue! What's your excuse now?" Warren asked, his voice dangerously low. Scott pursed his lips and the silence that followed spoke volumes. "I didn't think so." Warren murmured, beginning to walk. Kurt followed, Bobby and Piotr flanking his sides. Kitty turned on her heel, sneering at the two men. "You guys are pathetic, you know that?" She asked and Kurt, Bobby and Piotr turned around, hearing her voice. "What?" Logan asked, stepping forward as he rubbed the cheek Rogue had kicked. "You're pathetic." Kitty repeated, turning around to follow her teammates. "Hey, stop right there, half-pint! As recall, you weren't so nice to Rogue either." He growled and she turned back around. "You're right, but I would never attack her. Especially when I claimed to love her." Kitty's words did something to the two men. Logan's face seemed to contort and Scott's breathing faltered. She pressed further, hoping her words could cut them like the two men had cut Rogue. "You could've at least asked if she was ok, since you claim to care so much."

Logan waited a beat, something sliding over his senses, clearing it for a moment. He recognized the fear and dread that settled in his stomach. Where had that come from?

"Hey, ask her if she's ok, bub." Logan shouted, his heart clenching at a sudden thought. Kitty scoffed. "it just makes it more pathetic when I have to remind you to ask." she muttered, grabbing the arms of Piotr and Bobby as she began walking away. She passed Warren, who was standing so still, she could've mistaken him for a statue. A moment later, Warren turned slightly. He still held Rogue in his arms, and his eyes were like blue daggers as they landed on the two men. "I'll ask her _if_ she wakes up, _bub._"

* * *

and the two days of no internet starts...NOW!

I didn't think this was a cliffly... :[

R&R

Please :D


	36. Somebody Save Him

"_Blue." She muttered, sleep sliding easily over her senses. The fourth day allowed her to relax enough to finally fall asleep easily, Scott by her side. Comforting her._

_Protecting her._

"_What?" Scott's voice asked and she heard the rustle of sheets as he turned to sleepily stare at her. "I said blue. I think you're eyes are blue." She repeated, sighing as she began to slide into sleep. "Blue, huh?"_

_She nodded and closed her eyes, her body beginning to whined down. "Why blue?" she heard him ask and smiled. "That would make you tall, dark, and handsome with killer blue eyes. My dream guy." She muttered, her voice slurring with sleep. "What, I ain't your dream guy now?" he asked and she heard the teasing note in his voice. _

_She smiled again, her body becoming weightless. "I think they're blue because that's the color of an Angel's eyes Scott. My Angel…Scott" She knocked out after that. Scott stayed awake, his heart beating in tune with hers. _

_He turned to stare at her and felt his heart fill with something nameless. Something wonderful. He smiled, reaching out to brush back a white strand before moving closer to her. He allowed himself the extra 3 inches, wishing they could stay like that forever._

_Him._

_And His Rogue._

X

"_The cure isn't something I would suggest you taking, Rogue." McCoy murmured, eyeing her warily. She crossed her arms and continued staring at him, wondering what it was he wasn't going to tell her. "What?" she asked, dreading yet not being able to live without knowing any longer. _

_McCoy steepled his fingers, leaning forward gently on his desk. "The cure…is a cure, Rogue." She felt her heart stop. "But…?" She prompted, sitting down slowly in the only chair in his office. "But…the consequences…are dire."_

_"Consequences?"_

_He closed his eyes a moment before opening them again, the hesitation so apparent, she wondered if he was ever going to tell her. Silence reigned around the room for so long, she had considered just leaving when he spoke. "You could die."_

_She felt the bottom drop out of her heart. She swallowed, glancing down at the clenched hands in her lap. "It seems that the cure does work, but it needs to be readministered every couple of months. With your mutation, it could corrupt your DNA, making you severely sick. You'd be susceptible to every disease out there, and you wouldn't be able to fight it. You'd die."_

"_What if I just wanted to use it every so often?" She asked, grasping onto that hope. McCoy shook his head. "Because once the cure is injected, it attacks your DNA, as I said. You're body will retaliate by new cells which are immune to the cure at that point and time. You're mutation can change. With you, Rogue, you would probably just have to be near someone to absorbed them. And eventually, you'd die from everything that's going into you."_

x

She was crying when she woke up, wondering if what she just saw had been a memory or a dream. Both of them had once been real. But, it seemed so long ago. So, what one was more important? Did it matter?

She coughed, the pain in chest enormous. She couldn't breath. Her eyes shot open, adjusting to the darkness that surrounded her. She reached up, trying to free the blockage and felt…hair. She pushed and the object moaned as it shifted. The pressure on her chest lessened and she took a breath, trying to figure out what it was.

When it let out another moan, her mind shifted and she found herself wondering _who_ it was. She reached out her hand, trying to catch the latch on the lamp. She found it and pulled, flooding the room in a small glow of light.

She glanced down and saw Warren's blonde head nestled on her chest, his body moving slowly as he breathed in his sleep. He was seated next to her bed, his hand wrapped loosely around her gloved one. She was…shocked would've been the best word. She heard snoring and turned, the blue man twitching a bit in his sleep as he perched on another chair. Someone groaned and she turned her head, glancing over at the small sleeping form on the extra bed. She heard muttering and recognized Kitty's voice. She sat up slightly, a hunch causing her to do so, and smiled when she saw Piotr rolling around a bit on the ground, Bobby pushing at the man in his sleep.

When…what…she shook her head, laughing a bit. Why were they there?

She reached out and shook Warren lightly. "Two more minutes, Dad, I promise." He muttered, wiping his hand over his face before falling back asleep. "Warren, wake up." Rogue murmured, shaking him again. She watched him blink, the blue clearing as he woke up, He let out a yawn and glanced up. Rogue smiled when his blue eyes connected with her brown ones. "Hey." She whispered and Warren smiled, waking up fully. "Hey yourself. You had us worried there, hon."

She nodded her head towards the other people. "What're they-""They wanted to see you were alright. One of us guarded while the others slept." Warren said, not taking his eyes off her tired face. "Well, it looks like everyone was sleeping, Warren," She began, "Who was supposed to be guarding?"

Warren glanced up and let out a small curse. He reached past her and grabbed a pillow, bunching it up a bit before he lobbed it at Kurt.

It hit him straight on the chest and his yellow eyes sprang open. "Ich-Ich-Ich bin bereit zu kämpfen, Mama! In Ordnung!" he screamed, jumping as his arms waved around. She heard a bump, and then Bobby let out a curse. She watched as he surfaced, rubbing the back of his head. She heard Piotr grunting, calling out Kitty's name, then she heard Kitty rolling over to stare at her.

"There she is." Kitty murmured, rubbing her eyes.

Rogue looked around a moment, her mind working overtime. "Why…are you guys here?" Rogue asked them all and Piotr chuckled. "We were concerned for you, Rogue." He said, sighing as he stood up. He stretched a bit and turned to look down at Bobby. "You planning on staying there all night, Bobby?" he asked and Bobby let out a grunt.

She laugh a little at the look he sent towards Piotr before he glanced at her. "You alright, Rogue?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. She nodded, smirking a bit. "I've been hit with Scott's power before." she muttered, trying to ignore the painful twist that her heart insisted on doing every time she thought about it.

Every time she thought about Scott.

She let the room, and the people, fade as the two memories mixed around in her mind. The cure…and Scott.

She reached up and touched her chest lightly, her palm resting against her beating heart. She felt the pain, and the betrayal, like a knife in her heart.

Would the cure help?

Could she touch?

Could Scott…touch her? Was he worth dying over?

"Rogue?" Warren asked and she glanced up, her eyes haunted. He reached out and grabbed the hand on her chest. "Are you alright?" he whispered, eyeing her.

She looked at him. _Really _looked at him. Warren, who had been there for her when everyone else wasn't. Warren, who seemed to always know her feelings and her heart. Warren, who was…Warren.

Couldn't she fall in love with him?

She glanced around, finally noticing that they were alone. "Where's everyone?" She asked, looking left and right. Warren chuckled. "They left when you wouldn't answer their questions, staring blankly into the air." She chuckled. "Tell them I'm sorry." She mumbled, the two memories coming back once more. Her smile faltered, and Warren saw it. "Hey." he whispered, leaning forward towards her. His hand reached out, the danger room gloves still covering his skin as he cupped her cheek. She leaned into him, trying to feel something other than the intense appreciation that was always there.

Trying to feel love for Warren. She closed her eyes when she felt him leaning forward, his face so close to hers.

"Let me protect you." he whispered, and in that one moment, Rogue's mind saw Scott's face. She let out a sob, pulling away from Warren. They both remained still, non of them daring to breathe. She felt a tear slide down her cheek and hurriedly reached up to brush it away. "I'm sorry. I didn't…I…I'm sorry." She finished miserably. She scooted back further towards the headboard of the bed. She brought her knees up towards her chest and buried her face in them, thinking too much.

"Rogue-"

"Just go…please." She whispered, her eyes still closed. He waited a moment before he moved. She heard the door click shut as he left.

X

She tightened her gloves around her hand, the morning sun cutting through the curtains. She turned and glanced around the room…wondering…

She shook her head, her mind already made up. She stuffed money in her back pocket for cab fare and grabbed her cell phone, in case of emergencies. She glanced around her room one more time before she stepped out, wondering if she would be allowed to come back after she took the cure.

After she was normal.

The mansion was relatively quiet, Sunday being the day where most of the kids left the mansion to shop, hang out with friends or family. Rogue stayed home because she had nothing.

That was going to change.

She walked down the stairs, trailing her hands lightly over the wood.

She could finally be able to touch. To be with someone.

To be with Scott.

Something slid over her senses, the familiar feeling comforting. She didn't fight the feeling as it altered her, changed her.

She was done fighting.

She turned to look at the mansion one more time before she pushed open the double doors.

"Rogue?"

She stopped, turning at the familiar voice. Warren ran up to her and the blackness in her eyes scared him. "Rogue." he said her name gently, ever fiber in his body on edge at the vacant look in her eyes. He reached out, gripping her shoulders lightly as he stared into her eyes.

"Rogue." he repeated, and watched as she blinked, awareness coming back into the brown depths.

He watched as the green rolled in, darker than what he usually saw…but, it was there. "Rogue." he said one more time and she glanced up at him. She smiled, her vision becoming blurry as the tears began. She reached up and lifted his hands off her shoulders before she placed hers on his cheeks. "I wish I could love you, Warren, like you love me. But…I can't. I can't love anyone else but him. That's why I have to do this."

He stared at her and she watched the confusion darken his features. She smiled through her tears, laying her forehead on his briefly. "You're going to find a girl because you are the most amazing man. You're going to find that girl for you. You're going to find the most amazing girl that you love and who loves you. You're going to find a girl that can give her entire heart to you. But…I am not that girl Warren. I love you so much, but I can't love you with everything I have." She stopped, closing her eyes as Scott's face flashed before hers. "Everything I have belongs to him. If he wants to be able to touch…I will give everything I am to that and let him touch. That last year, Warren…Scott saved me. He saved me from becoming something I wasn't. I will die…for him." She muttered, the tears sliding freely down her cheeks. She opened her eyes, the hazel sad and somewhat defeated. "I will die…to love him. To save him." she whispered the last part, finally understanding Jean's message. "Rogue-"

"Goodnight, Warren." she whispered and quick as lightening, her hand reached out behind his head and pressed, hitting the spot that she knew would knock him out temporarily. His body crumpled to the floor and she gave him a sad smile before she walked outside.

To the cure.

To her mission.

To her death.

* * *

i forgot to add in on sentence when wrote the chapter. Its near the end, in her startling confession to Warren. Enjoy :D


	37. Scott was back

He woke up too late.

He knew it when he opened his eyes, his blurry vision clearing as he stared at the open door.

He didn't remember much, but he did remember her green eyes when she spoke to him, and her brown ones when she knocked him out.

"_I wish I could love you, Warren, like you love me. But…I can't. I can't love anyone else but him. That's why I have to do this. You're going to find a girl because you are the most amazing man. You're going to find that girl for you. You're going to find the most amazing girl that you love and who loves you. You're going to find a girl that can give her entire heart to you. But…I am not that girl Warren. I love you so much, but I can't love you with everything I have. Everything I have belongs to him. If he wants to be able to touch…I will give everything I am to that and let him touch. I will die…for him. I will die…to love him. To save him."_

He groaned as he rolled over, getting up on all fours. He let out a breath, trying to remember what had just transpired. What had she been talking about? How could she die?

He sat there for the longest moment, thinking.

That's how Scott found him.

"What are you doing?" Scott asked, looking at him strangely. Warren glanced up, his face calm as he spoke to the man. "I am thinking, you mind?"

Scott shrugged and started walking away. Warren watched as he stopped and turned around. "I was looking for Rogue. Have you seen her?" Warren sneered. "Why?"

"I wanted to tell her that…in the danger room…" He hesitated. "You were sorry?" Warren asked, wondering if Scott actually cared. Scott looked up, taken aback. "Sorry? Hardly. I wanted to tell her to be careful next time she's around Jean. Rogue could hurt her." Warren scoffed. "typical." he muttered. He struggled to his feet and the wince of pain had Scott asking again, "What are you doing?"

"I was sitting here wondering the same thing." he muttered, glancing at the open door again. His memory was flashing back slowly, and in it, he saw her.

"_I will die…for him. I will die…to love him. To save him." _

He glanced at the clock on the wall and let out a curse. An hour was wasted. Warren began stalking out the door with every intention to get Rogue back.

"Hey! What're you doing?" Scott yelled, reaching out a hand to wrap around Warren's arm to jerk him back. "I am going to save Rogue, Scott." Warren said, turning and his eye flashed as he glared at the man.

Scott paled, and for one moment, he felt the familiar tug of worry and protectiveness that came over him whenever Rogue was concerned. Something slid over his mind and his face remained impassive when he asked, "From what?"

Warren saw the change and it angered him more the way Scott could slide from concerned to not giving a shit. He pulled his arm out of Scott's grip. "it's none of your business." He muttered, turning to walk out again. "Hey! We're not done talking!" Scott yelled, grabbing him again.

Warren turned and his arm swung out, landing a punch on the side of Scott's face. Scott let go and stumbled back. "If you even care a little bit for Rogue, stay away from her." Warren growled, turning to walk once more. Scott regained his senses and clamped a hand on Warren shoulder to turn him around. Warren turned and Scott landed a punch to his gut. He lost his breath, bending over as he clutched the fist. He jerked, sending Warren sprawling on the floor. He stood up fully and glared down at the blonde man. "Stay away from her? What do you think I've been doing since Jean came back? I am trying to love Jean and that stupid child is in my head constantly! I am always worried about her, always wondering what trouble she's gotten into, or longing to just…just touch her!"

Warren stumbled to his feet. "It's called love, Scott! You love Rogue!" Warren screamed. He knew what it was.

Because it was what he felt every time he was near Rogue too.

Scott shook his head. "I don't love Rogue."

"Would you stop lying to yourself?" Warren yelled, grabbing Scott by the collar. "Lying to myself? Tell Rogue to stop lying to herself! I don't care about her!" Scott yelled, trying to tug away.

Warren let go, only to swing his fist again. He grunted with satisfaction when it made contact and Scott stumbled back. "That's complete bullshit and you know it!" Warren yelled, running to catch him by the collar again. "You loved her! You meant something to her!" He pushed and Scott staggered back. "How can you just _not_ love her so suddenly?" Warren screamed, continuing to push Scott. Scott pushed back, his voice rising as he yelled back. "I love Jean!"

"Bullshit! You love Rogue!"

"I loved Jean since we were kids! I've loved everything she was!"

"That _thing_ in there isn't Jean and you know it! Jean is _dead!_" Scott reached out and tried to stop Warren's onslaught. "Jean is here! She's alive! She's all I want in life!"

"So the last year meant nothing!" Warren asked, an image of Rogue flashing through his mind.

_That last year, Warren…Scott saved me. He saved me from becoming something I wasn't._

"Rogue meant nothing?" He asked, throwing another punch at Scott. Scott dodged and Warren felt pain when Scott's fist slammed into the side of his face. "That last year was a fluke! I feel nothing in my heart but what I feel for Jean! Jean is everything!"

"So, tell me Rogue means nothing! Tell me what Rogue feels means absolutely nothing to you!" Warren screamed, throwing another punch. He missed, and in frustration shouted, "Tell me you can stand the fact that she'll hate you forever!"

Something shifted in Scott's mind, and for a moment, he hesitated.

Warren saw it and took his chance. "Tell me you don't want to hear her say that she loves you, Scott! Tell me!"

Scott shook his head, and his mind cleared. "I don't care what Rogue thinks of me." He whispered, his voice low and final. "I don't care what happens to her either." he began walking away, raising the edge of his wrist to wipe his bleeding lip. He passed Warren, beginning to walk up the stairs to Jean.

Warren voice stopped him as he turned to catch the words. "What?" He asked, his body suddenly alert. "I asked you, you don't care even if she kills herself? Even if she's thinking of taking the cure, regardless of what it could do to her?" Warren asked over his shoulder, his body tense.

He had a theory…and he was testing it.

Scott turned around fully, and Warren heard with satisfaction as Scott's feet brought him behind Warren. "Run that by me again, Angel-boy."

Warren turned around fully too, and his blue eyes remained unwavering as they stared at Scott. "She's going to take the cure, Scott, because she loves you enough to."

"The cure can kill her-" Scott began, and stopped when Warren shrugged. "Why do you care what Rogue does? Does her dying really matter?" Warren began walking and Scott's hand shot out to stop him. Warren glanced at Scott's face, swearing he could see it as Scott's mind began to shift, to work. "She could die if she takes that cure, and you didn't stop her?" Scott's voice asked, and Warren heard the fear.

He just needed one more push…

"Why does it matter? If she's dead, then she's not a bother anymore, right?" Warren asked, pulling out of Scott's grip. Scott's mind began to bend, his senses coming back to him. At one last attempt to prove his heart wrong, his head spoke. "I fell in love with Rogue to get over Jean, Warren." Warren shook his head, a chuckle close to escaping his lips. "You got over Jean because you fell in love with Rogue, Scott."

There.

Warren watched as Scott's face contorted, the internal battle between the two minds in his head fighting to take control. Scott's hand reached up, grabbing the side of his head as the battle continued. "No." Scott whispered and Warren watched with fascination as Scott began to shake. He fell to his knees, his head screaming as it seemed to split open.

Warren reached forward, trying to help. "Fight it, Scott. Rogue needs you. Come on…you can do this!"

Scott lurched forward, his body jerking as he landed on all fours. "No." Scott said, louder this time, squeezing his eyes shut against the pain. Warren pursed his lips. This had to work.

Scott began breathing heavily, and a sheen of sweat coated his forward. "NO!" he screamed, slamming his head against the floor. Warren let out a shout, and reached forward. "Stop." Scott growled and Warren hesitated. He stepped back and waited.

It was a full ten minutes before Warren heard Scott let out a breath. His body sagged and he rolled onto his back. "Scott…?" Warren asked, stepping forward cautiously. Warren watched as Scott swallowed, his Adam's apple moving visibly. "What?" he grunted, his eyes staring at the ceiling. "Are…Are you Scott?"

"What kind of dumb question is that?" Scott growled, sighing as he rolled back over. He struggled to his feet and glared at Warren. But, Warren wasn't convinced.

"Do you remember…anything?"

"What?"

"The last, I don't know…2 months? Do you remember anything?" Warren asked. Scott scoffed. "It's hard not to." He murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. "How do you feel for Jean?"

"Who?" Scott asked and lost his breath when Warren crushed him into a hug. "You're Scott! You're really Scott! I can't believe-wait, what am I doing? Rogue!" He turned to run and Scott grabbed him quickly, his grip biting deep into Warren's wrist. "Hey, ow, let go!" Warren screamed, looking at Scott. "What about Rogue?" Scott asked, his entire body on edge. "She's going to take the cure-"

Warren watched as Scott paled. "She's going to take…the cure?" Scott yelled. "You didn't stop her?" Scott shook his head, releasing his death grip. "I'm going. Tell the Professor to find Jean!" Scott yelled over his shoulder, already running out the door. "Find Jean?" Warren yelled, confused. But Scott was already gone. Warren heard the roar of the motorcycle engine before Scott appeared again, bolting down the driveway.

A small smile touched Warren's bruised face and he grimaced when his split lip protested. He laughed. "Oh man, what you do for love." he whispered as he heard Scott ride away.

To save Rogue.

To save their love.

To save his love.


	38. I Love You

He sagged against the outside doors of the mansion, his heart heavy.

Nothing.

He had searched everywhere…and nothing. He ran around like an idiot, calling her name, watching the other mutants that turned to look at him as he searched for her.

She was gone.

His heavy heart pounded viciously, reminding him of his mistakes, his actions and his loss. He closed his eyes, letting out a groan at the memories that flashed behind them.

He had seriously messed up.

He threw open the doors, his shoes clicking on the wood floors of the mansion as he wandered aimlessly. He was glad it was Sunday. No one was here to see him cry.

He walked without a purpose, more absorbed in his thoughts then where he was going. He heard shouting, laughing and wondered if she would be able to laugh anymore after she had taken the cure. Would she still be Rogue? Would she still love him, even if she claimed to have taken it for him?

Jean was gone. When he had woken up, she wasn't there. He had been looking for her when he ran into Warren and from there…his world came back together. The last 2 months were fuzzy, but he remembered enough to know why Rogue had gone for the cure. It was all his fault.

He ended up in front of the danger room doors, his feet having taken him there without much of a thought. He stared at the metal doors, thinking about what had happened the last time he's been on the other side. He remembered almost killing the one he really loved. His Rogue.

He turned away, the guilt weighing him down so heavily that he couldn't stand to be anywhere that contained too many memories. He stopped when he heard shouting and a grunt on the other side. He half-turned, waiting.

Another shout and another grunt before something slammed against the wall. Alarmed, he threw his hand on the scanner and it seemed like forever before they slid open.

"Touch me again and I really will kill you!" Rogue screamed, scrambling off the side of the wall. She ducked and rolled, avoiding Jean as she came barreling towards her. She ran, trying to get away from the raving redhead. "Are you psychotic?" She yelled over her shoulder and screamed when she felt herself being lifted. She slammed onto the with a large cry. "Don't answer that." she mumbled, fighting the headache.

"Why don't you just leave?" Jean screamed, stomping up to Rogue. She bent, grabbed her by the collar and lifted her in the air. Rogue wrapped her hands around the slender wrists and starting kicking. "Why don't you just leave me alone?" Jean shouted, her eyes turning black. "Why don't you just die and stop meddling in things that are none of your business?" She threw her and Rogue let out a curse as she slammed into the ground, rolling from the force of it.

She saw Jean raise her hand and knew the telepathy was coming. Rogue wasn't so sure she could handle another hit against the wall. She heard a whir and looked over to see Scott near the door, his hand on one of the knobs on his visor. All she could think of was the fact that there could be a better way to die.

She watched as the red beam shot out, coming towards her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the intense pain. A scream had her eyes shooting open again.

Jean sat on the floor clutching her shoulder as Scott came running towards Rogue. He passed Jean and Rogue saw the confusion on the redhead's face. "Are you alright?" Scott whispered to her, holding out his hands. She gave him an odd look, staring at his hands before glancing up at his face. "What are you doing?" she asked and he laughed, not being able to help it. "I am helping you." He said and, not being able to wait for her any longer, bent and lifted her up.

She let out a shriek and quickly shut her mouth when she found herself chest to chest with Scott, his face dangerously close to hers. "I am protecting you." he whispered, and her heart fluttered as she felt his breath across her lips. Her knees gave out she felt his hold tighten on her. "Whoa." he murmured as they both sank to the floor. "This is impossible." She whispered, closing her eyes.

"You're damn right it is!" a voice screamed and they both looked up to find Jean's black eyes shooting daggers at them. Her red hair seemed to fly, her anger as palpable as Scott was in front of her. Scott stood up slowly, pulling Rogue along with him. Jean's eyes glanced at their linked hands before they connected with Rogue's. "You…How dare you!" Jean screamed as she began walking towards them. Rogue took a hesitant step back and felt Scott's hand as it wrapped around hers.

She glanced up at him and was shocked to find him holding the side of his visor. From behind him, she saw multiple looks cross Jean's face, the most apparent one being anger. "Scott, please, it's me…Jean-"

"Jean is dead. You're not Jean." he whispered, his voice steady even as his heart broke a little. Jean's face contorted. "I am Jean!" she shouted, the room seeming to shake under them. Her powers vibrated off he walls and in her eyes, they both saw power. Dangerous power. Scott stepped forward. "Stop lying to yourself." He commanded. Jean's black eyes flashed again. "I am Jean!" she shouted, stepping forward also, her powers lashing out, whipping around Scott to hit Rogue. She felt herself being lifted off her feet and closed her eyes, trying to picture the hallway again.

The hallway that was still there because she hadn't taken the cure.

It blurred into view and the doors seemed to shine and vibrate with power. She reached out towards Cyclops's door. She cursed when the marble door slammed down once again, blocking her. The name shone savagely against the white door and she stepped back, feeling it's power. Something clamped over her senses and the hallway faded, the scene changing.

"I am Jean!" she repeated, her telepathy slamming into Rogue like a bullet.

"No, you're not." Scott muttered, turning the knob.

The red beam shot out, brushing over a slim shoulder as it singed off a strand of red hair. Rogue got her breath back and sighed, the pressure of the telepathy fading as Jean's powers were reigned in. Jean's eyes widened as Scott lowered his hand. "Next time, I won't miss. If you ever come near Rogue again, I'll kill you myself." He stood there, his legs spaced apart and his hand ready to raise to his visor.

"You'll regret this." Jean muttered, turning around before walking viciously away. The sound of her heels as they clicked away resonated through the quiet metal room. "I regret a lot. But, not this." Scott murmured, his heart finally healing.

Finally accepting the loss.

He turned and Rogue took a step back. "Rogue-"

"This could be a trick, right?" She asked, stepping back again. Scott let out a sigh and began to follow her. "This could be a plan that you and her cooked up to fool me. To try and trick me."

"Really, Rogue-"

"For the last two months it's been you and Jean constantly. There are so many different things that this could mean."

"Rogue-"

"Seriously, I fell for this before." Her back hit the wall, and she stared furiously around, trapped. "Rogue, this is not a trick." Scott muttered, coming closer. She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "People don't just change, Scott, I know that-"

"Why didn't you take the cure?" Scott asked and watched as her mouth seemed to stop working. He smiled and placed his hands nears the sides of her head on the wall, trapping her in. "Tell me why you didn't take the cure." he repeated, leaning in close to her.

She saw her reflection in his eyes and saw herself as she visibly swallowed. "There are many reasons why I didn't-"

"Rogue." he chided. She let out a sigh as she rolled her eyes. "It wasn't me. I mean, it was me, but…I felt like something was pushing me. Like…like they were influencing the way I thought without me being able to control it."

"What stopped you?" he asked, fascinated by the way her mouth moved. "Seriously? I don't know. Something else seemed to also talk to me, telling me this wasn't me. It…convinced me to start thinking clearly." He nodded. "That was the same way with me. The last two months, I wasn't me. Something seemed to change me, seemed to influence me to do things I didn't want to do. I changed because someone knocked some sense into me. And also because of…you." she looked up, her brown eyes watching him. "You were always there, Rogue. Always fighting. Always Rogue. You were always something I could depend on. You didn't let Jean influence you and you refused to back down every time you were confronted with a fight. I watched you and remembered what I felt for you. That I love you. I loved you since I saved you that snowy day and I loved you every days since you saved me. You saved me that last year and you stopped me from becoming something I wasn't. I. love. you." he whispered the last part, leaning forward to touch his lips lightly to hers.


	39. Magneto's New Weapon

"You look like shit." Rogue murmured, pressing another cold pack against Warren's eye. His blue eyes stared at her, one blackened and the other sardonic. "Thanks." he muttered, the sarcasm in his voice apparent as he winced. She let out a sigh, holding the side of his head as she pressed harder. "You should know better than pick a fight with Scott." she muttered, pursing her lips. Warren's hand reached up to cover the ice pack and she let her gloved hand slip out of it.

"I obviously handled him fine." he said, his eyes never leaving her face. She sighed, sitting back as she stared at him. She never imagined the first boy to be in her room would've been Warren, but for some odd reason, she didn't mind it. Warren was closer to her than most and he had become important.

He had become someone she couldn't live without.

"Yeah, a black eye, a broken knuckle, a split lip and more bruises than I can count is 'fine'."

"You should see the other guy." Warren joked, wincing again when the smile split his lip a bit wider. She _tsked_ and bent to reach for a tissue. She bunched it up and pressed it against his bleeding lip. "I did see the other guy. And, I have to say, you got in a few good punches too." she smiled, and he felt his heart smile too. She leaned back again and watched him.

Suddenly, she leaned forward and wrapped him in a large hug. Stunned, he could only sit there reveal in the feeling. "Thank you." she whispered, closing her eyes as he leaned into her. His hands reached up and pressed on her back, completing the hug. "No, Rogue, thank _you_." He murmured, his heart finally being able to let her go. He would always love her, but even knew when he didn't stand a chance. She had been there for him when everyone else rejected him for his mutation. She made him smile and forget about everything, giving him a chance to be a normal man. She didn't look at him as if the wings protruding out of his back were some sort of hideous deformity, but instead she just saw him. Warren, the man.

She pulled back and he saw her brown eyes swimming. His heart lurched and in a panic, he began babbling. "No, no crying! That's not allowed! I don't do well when girls start crying!" he shouted, backing away from her. He smiled when he saw her laugh and he himself laughed in return. "You really are the most amazing guy, Warren." Rogue told him. He reached out and punched her lightly on the shoulder. "Don't you ever forget it." he said, his smile widening.

She sighed when she saw the split widen and heard his grunt of pain. "Stupid." she muttered, throwing a tissue in his face. She began laughing and his joined hers.

They both glanced up when the door flew open and Kurt's blue body went flying towards them. Their smiles faded at the look in his yellow eyes and they both quickly stood up. "What?" They asked at the same time and Kurt visibly swallowed before he answered. "Jean's gone."

X

"Magneto?" Scott asked, his arms unfolding in alarm as he stood up from the arm of the couch that Rogue was sitting on. The Professor's head nodded solemnly. "It seems…Jean has gone there."

"Why?" Kitty asked, her small body folded next to Bobby's on the small chair. Rogue glanced over and saw Scott swallow, his eyes guarded by the red shades. But, if she could see them, she was sure she'd see the guilt. He opened his mouth to speak.

"It-"

"It was because of me." Rogue interrupted, waiting for the onslaught of questions and accusations. Jean was gone, so everything was back to normal, right? Kitty and her were still fighting, Bobby and her were still awkward around each other and Piotr stopped caring.

Her eyes widened when everyone scoffed. "Of course it isn't your fault." Kitty murmured, her brown eyes friendly. "If anything, you probably saved all of us."

"What?" Rogue asked, her brows furrowed in confusion. She saw Piotr roll his eyes before he glanced over at her, smiling. "We all know Jean was behind the attacks on us. If she remained her any longer, than a lot of us would've probably been hurt more."She opened her mouth to speak and Logan cut her off, his big hand warm on her shoulder. "We all know that that wasn't Jean, Rogue. She was doing something to all of us and you were the only one who fought it. She's a lot more powerful than we all thought."

The Professor cleared his throat and everyone was silent as they turned to look at him, except Rogue, who had her head hanging between her shoulders. "I've been going through Jean's thoughts, and there was something wrong. There seems to be another…personality there." Rogue's head shot up. "The Phoenix." She murmured, and everyone turned to stare at her. She stared at all of them, realizing she had spoken out loud. "How…how'd you know that?" Bobby asked, turning slightly towards her. She winced. "Jean told me." She murmured, her brown eyes moving around, not being able to keep contact with anyone. "Jean? Jean barely spoke to you." Kitty said, standing up.

Rogue dropped her head in her hands. "Not that Jean."

"There's more than one Jean?"

"Obviously." Scott said, answering Kitty's question as he stared at Rogue. He heard her let out a sigh. "There's the physical Jean…and then, there's the mental Jean." Rogue murmured, lifting her head up to stare at the Professor, hoping he'd help her. When he remained quiet, contemplating her, Rogue let out a another sigh and continued. "Jean has been in my head, talking to me, for a while now. She…tells me things about herself."

"Is that how you knew that Jean…wasn't really Jean?" Piotr asked, and Rogue nodded. "The Jean in my head told me that she calls herself the Phoenix. Someone…powerful."

"Are you sure this Jean is real?" Kitty asked, sitting back down and leading forward towards Rogue. Rogue shrugged. "It's either that…or I am slowly going insane."

"Let's say what you're telling us is true. What else did Jean say?" Logan asked. Rogue closed her eyes, trying to remember. "The Phoenix was powerful. She was…destruction…?"

"And you failed to mention that to us?" Scott asked, his face paling. She sent him a look. "You weren't exactly paying attention to me." She said, a hint of cynicism entering her voice. Scott shook his head, turning towards her. "You're taking this the wrong way. She could've killed you and you just kept this all to yourself?"

"I can take care of myself." she muttered, turning away in shame. Scott reached out and grabbed her hand. "I don't doubt that. But now that she's gone to Magneto who knows what he's going to do with her,"

Logan nodded. "Jean would be the ultimate weapon against humankind."

"Aren't we jumping ahead of ourselves? We don't even know what this Phoenix is capable of." Bobby said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know." They all heard Charles whisper. Rogue closed her eyes, nodding as everyone turned to look at the Professor instead of her. "What?" Scott asked, and Charles closed his eyes. He nodded once and opened them again, regret shining in them. "When I was sifting through Jean's mind before, I saw very vague images run through her mind. Vague images that, now, I can see properly. Images of power and…blue. Death and…destruction." The Professor paused and Rogue dropped her head in her hands again.

The room was silent, everyone lost in their own thoughts. "Well, maybe Jean can tell us how to stop Phoenix." Bobby murmured. They all glanced at him before looking at Rogue. She shook her head bleakly. "I haven't spoken to Jean since…I touched her in the infirmary."

'Isn't that also when your other powers stopped working? When you touched Jean?" Warren asked, finally speaking. The image of the marble door flashed behind her eyes before she nodded. "Mayve Jean had something to do with zit." Kurt said, stepping forward a bit.

Rogue shook her head again, swallowing before she spoke. "Whatever it is…Phoenix is powerful, and until we get a full grasp on-" a loud banging on the door stopped her from saying the rest. They all looked over, Warren reaching out to open it. Ororo burst through, her brown eyes wild. Everyone bolted up and Ororo seemed to compose herself enough to speak. "It's Jean…and Magneto! They're at the bridge and…and-oh, just turn on the news!" She ran over, fumbled the remote and clicked on the TV. The sounds of sirens and cries filled the room as the cameraman focused on an image of the red bridge.

Or, what used to be the red bridge. What remained was a crumpled mess of red metal. The bridge had collapsed, half of it in the water and half of it blocking…an island. Magneto stood at one end and a mutant with red hair stood in the middle of a growing pile of metal.

Jean.

Her red air flew in the air, the winds around her whirling and spitting out fire and more metal as Jean's black eyes shone against her pale skin. Magneto was laughing, more than 20 mutants surrounding him and his new weapon. Jean turned towards the camera, let out a small smile and then static filled the screen.

Everyone turned to look at each other around the room, their minds running at lightening speed. Scott swallowed and the Professor looked up, his eyes tortured. Rogue was the first to speak, and the one word she said reflected the feelings of everyone in the room.

"Shit."


	40. The Battle Begins

She tugged on the seatbelt, feeling the vibration of the jet beneath her as they began to fly away. Her mind raced, wondering about what they were getting themselves into. She closed her eyes and the past couple of minutes flashed through her mind, the memory burned into her brain in case she didn't live coming out of this.

In case none of them lived after this.

"_We're not trained for this Charles." Logan argued, fidgeting in his seat. Regardless of what he just said, he still wanted to get out there._

_To stop the Phoenix._

"_You guys have been training for this for years." Charles murmured, facing the entire room. The sounds of screams and terrors still echoed around the office as everyone remained silent, each thinking about something different. "If we don't stop Jean, who will?" Kitty asked, her brown eyes suddenly more mature, more focused. "Magneto had at least 20 more mutants then us out there." Warren said, his wings fluttering in distress. "We've had worse odds." Piotr joked, trying to lighten the mood. They all glanced up at Rogue, remembering her moment at Alkali lake. She shook her head. "I cant access the powers. If we go out there, I'll be useless."_

_This time Scott shook his head. "You won't be useless. We just have to get you close enough to touch her, weaken her momentarily, so that we can take her down." Rogue made a point of looking at the screen, where they had just seen Jean throw cars around like they were nothing, and Scott closed his mouth in response. _

"_Ve have to try, don't ve?" Kurt asked, his small voice reverberating around the tiny office. Rogue and Warren turned to look at him and he gave them a small smile. "You can't run away all the time. You have to fight." he repeated their own words back to him. Rogue's eyes widened before she smiled. She remembered the moment she had told him that. How different it was to have her own words thrown back at her. But, Kurt was right. Nothing was ever solved by running away. She closed her eyes, seeing the marble door once more. You had to fight back, no matter what. She opened her eyes and turned back to the room full of people._

"_let's do it."_

"_Rogue-" they all began at once. She raised a hand, stopping them. "We know what happens if we don't. We don't stop her now, we won't be able to stop her ever. We've prepared for this for forever and it's time to show them what we're made of. We're the last defense for the humans. Magneto is out there to destroy everything, and Jean is going to help him do it, unless we stop her." she glanced around at everyone. "This is what we're going to do."_

It seemed simple enough when she thought about the idea. Scott had been more or less right when he said that all they had to do was let Rogue touch the Phoenix. She weakens Jean's enough for the rest of the X-men to take a shot at her. All they had to do was take care of the other mutants first.

She glanced around, trying to remember the faces of her comrades. Logan and McCoy were at the front, steering, while Ororo and Warren sat right behind them. Next to them was Kurt, clutching his never-ending beads while Piotr remained quiet beside him. Bobby and Kitty were behind those two, and she watched them clutching each other's hands, their voices hushed as they spoke to each other. The Professor and Ororo were right in front of her, and she heard them mutter something to one another from time to time.

"I can just hear the wheels in your heard clicking around." Scott murmured, leaning over to look at her. She mumbled absentmindedly, her mind focused on the mission. "Rogue." Scott whispered and chuckled when she remained silent, absorbed in her own thoughts. "Rogue…I love you." he whispered and he watched as her brown eyes blinked before looking at him. "What?" She asked, her voice low. Scott smiled. "I love you." he whispered again and he watched as she smile slightly. "I thought you were joking the first time you told me that." she said and had the pleasure of watching him wince in mock pain. "I am shocked." he muttered, reaching forward to pull her towards him. She leaned into him, her heart settling as the familiar comfort began.

They stayed like that for a long time. His warmth seeped into her cold bones and she signed, leaning into him more as she sank in the moment. This could be her last with Scott. This could be her last with the one she loved.

"I love you." She whispered, her voice so small she was scared he didn't hear her. His arms tightened around her and he whispered, "Say it again."

"I love you."

"Again." his face reached forward, his lips finding hers. "I love you."

"Again." She felt his lips press and opened her mouth, her heart fluttering. It wasn't long enough for her power to take effect, but it was long enough for her to feel the love behind it. "I love you." She repeated, her head nestled in the curve of his shoulder and neck. T was a moment before Scott spoke. "You know, Warren asked me if I could live with never hearing you say that. I told him I could…but, I can't. I can't live without you, Rogue." She closed her eyes, loving the way he felt.

Loving his presence.

"Marry me."

Her eyes remained closed and she thought she was dreaming. She didn't answer, her mind lost in the moment. "Rogue?" he asked and she opened her eyes, the hazel reflected back towards her from his shades. "Can I get an answer?" he asked and her mind registered his question. Her eyes widened. "What?" she squeaked and watched him smile. "Marry me." he repeated and she felt her heart stop. "Tell me you're serious." she whispered and laughed when he scoffed. "no, I am joking." he muttered, watching her reaction. "yes." She whispered.

"yes."

X

They would have to live through this first. They all stood on one side of the jet doors, listening to the devastation and destruction around them. Her hand was gripped in Scott's and she turned towards him. Her brown eyes soaked him in, wondering if she was going to be able to live to fulfill her promise. She glanced down at their hands.

They had to live.

"Let's fight." She muttered, reaching forward to press the doors opened. Her hand was released as they all ran forward.

X

There were really 40 more mutants then them. Magneto was definitely over prepared. They all struggled, trying to get past the new mutants to the Phoenix.

Rogue jumped, side swiping a new mutant. She felt the neck snap, not staying long enough to regret killing something. She moved in, Scott and Warren at her sides.

She ducked when one of the them yelled and grunted as she was tackled by something. She gagged on the smell and rolled, seeing the tawny eyes of the one known as Toad.

The x-men knew she didn't have her powers anymore. But none of Magneto's people knew that. She brought up her knee, catching him in the groin. She heard him moan in pain as she rolled off of her. "Back up, or I'll fry you!" She yelled, struggling to her feet. Someone landed next to Toad and she recognized the hairy man known as Sabertooth. "Don't make threats you can't fulfill, little girl." he said, baring his teeth. She backed up, tripping slightly over a piece of rock. "I am making a threat that I can go through with-"

Toad chuckled. "Jean already told us about you. You're useless."

"Shit." She muttered, before Sabertooth landed a punch to her chest. She let out another curse as she flew back, hitting the ground hard. She opened her eyes in time to see a red beam shoot out, hitting Sabertooth and Toad at the same time.

She scrambled to her feet, nodding when Scott asked her if she was okay. She continued forward, her target in sight.

Jean.

She felt the ground beneath her begin to shake and turned, seeing Avalanche. She raised her arms and reached out to grab Scott as Warren's hands wrapped around hers. She pulled both of them up, pointing to Avalanche as they gained air. She watched Scott reach up, turning on his knob before knocking Avalanche off his feet. She heard a grunt of pain and her stomach dropped out form her tummy as they fell. She hit the ground rolling and screamed Warren's name. "I'm fine! Go!" He yelled, grabbing his injured wing. She spared him one look before she ran forward, trying to get to Jean. Trying to at least do her part of the mission.

She felt herself being lifted and her brown eyes connected with Phoenix's black ones, so far away. She started to fly back, Phoenix's telepathy hitting her hard. She waited for the hurt as she slammed into the ground, but heard the poof a second before a pair of arms wrapped around her. She felt the stinging sensation cover her body, smiling as she disappeared in a puff of blue smoke.

She reappeared again, so close to Phoenix she could reach out and touch her. Kurt screamed as the winds blew him away and they both cursed when they hit the ground. "Kurt-"

"I am fine!" he yelled, but she saw the bleeding arm. "Fall back!" she screamed pushing him. Something caught the corner of her eyes. She grabbed Kurt and rolled, dodging a metal car flying their way. She heard Magneto let out a laugh, his entire body shaking with the effort. "My, my, my, how the strong fall." he said, gliding over to them. "Tell me, Rogue, where are your newfound powers?" She sneered at him, her arms flexing. "I must thank you though, for sending Jean our way. If you hadn't dismissed her, we never would've found our new weapon. Or found out that you are useless." he flicked his hand and she grabbed Kurt and shifted, avoiding a pole as it slammed into the ground. Magneto yawned, covering his mouth. "I am even bored enough to not even bother with you."

"Kurt." She whispered, shaking him. "But, I'll just get rid of you now, so that you don't kill my weapon."

"kill her?" Rogue asked, her small smile genuine. "We're here to save her." She felt the familiar stinging as Kurt's powers took effect. Her landing wasn't so successful and they both rolled on the ground, Kurt unconscious from blood loss. "KURT!" she yelled scrambling towards him.

What had she gotten them into?

"Rogue!" Scott yelled, his voice distracting her. She turned, her heart beating wildly at his dark tone, and missed the large mass of metal as it slammed into the back of her body. She let out a grunt as she went flying, being thrown farther away from the Phoenix. "damn." she muttered as she saw stars and felt the blood drip from her mouth. She stared around as everyone fought and felt useless. She watched as Bobby's powers were deflected and played with like they were nothing. Logan was getting closer, but was still far enough to do nothing but watch as Phoenix destroyed herself and New York City. Scott sent out optic blasts every so often, trying to destroy obstacles as the team attempted to get closer. The Professor was in the Jet, trying to get through to Jean mentally. She saw Storm circling in the air, fighting the winds Jean was creating. Kitty and Piotr were together, helping protect and dodge the other mutants. They had taken down many of Magnetos' unskilled fighters, they're powers and training outmatching the others.

The brotherhood and Phoenix weren't going down easily though. Pyro set fire to everything Phoenix threw into the air while Magneto busied himself with Logan, having grown bored with Kurt and Rogue. Mystique and Toad were barricading through Kitty and Piotr, while Sabertooth made waste to the rest of the city.

So, she was useless again. She wanted to hit herself over and over. They were all fighting and she could do nothing but sit there and bleed, getting in the way. Her power was only useful if she got close enough to touch Jean, and that in itself was almost impossible to do.

She wanted to be a bit more than useless. There was something she was missing, something that was stopping her from accessing her powers. She needed to fight it and fight it quick. But, she was hesitant.

She was scared.

Terrified.

Frightened.

She closed her eyes at the stark reality. She was actually _scared to death_ of her powers. She had always hated them, but the only time she was scared of them was the first time she had used them. _Powers are usually triggered during puberty. During moments of heightened emotional stress, _Jean's voice rang through her head.

Was her fear stopping her…?

She closed her eyes, the sounds of battle fading as she concentrated. She went to pull a power any power, from one of the mental rooms and felt the wall, the hesitation. The marble door slammed in front of her again and it wasn't locked like it usually was. It wasn't just shut tight…it was bolted. Rogue let out a sigh and in her mind read the name scrawled on top. The name that she knew she had been keeping secret from everyone else. The name that scared her more than anything in the world.

Sage.

She reached out with her right hand and traced the name. The Sage. The thing hiding beneath her skin ever since she had touched Jean the first time. It was her own personal Phoenix. The Sage magnified her powers and she knew it. It magnified hers like the Phoenix magnified Jean's, It was the other personality Rogue had always felt underneath her skin, waiting.

That was her secret. That was the terrible mess she kept inside her. She had…Sage in her. And she had been blocking it ever since Jean came back. Ever since she felt the fear that Jean had experienced. She was terrified of what she could become if she let out Sage. Scared that she would lose her mind and be stuck fighting for her own body.

Sage could stop the Phoenix and save Jean…and Rogue was completely and utterly terrified of it. She kept her eyes closed and didn't notice when Scott yelled her name, running towards her. All she saw was the marble door. It glowed a dark green and her hand dropped back to her side, afraid to unlock it. She turned away and that's when she saw her, the glowing red-brown hair giving her away even before she spoke Rogue's name. "_Rogue, please_." Jean whispered, her brown eyes pleading. Rogue felt herself sliding away, being tugged into her own head as Jean pulled her through. Cyclops slid to a stop by her side, but it was useless. Her physical body fell back in the cold dust as she passed out.


	41. The Sage

"There are easier ways to talk to me, Jean." Rogue muttered, staring at Alkali Lake. She heard a chuckle. "Considering the state I'm in right now, I doubt it." The red-head appeared next to her, the flames circling her body dying down as Jean came into control of her mind. They both stared at the smooth lake below them as they stood on the cliff. Rogue was still clad in her black x-men uniform while Jean was in the red one. It was a stretch of silence before one of them spoke.

"What do you want, Jean?" Rogue asked her, swallowing, not taking her eyes off the moving water. There was no hesitation from Jean. Her eyes didn't falter as she turned to stare at her. "I want you to kill me, Rogue." Jean answered softly. Rogue's eyes shot up to stare at the woman. Jean had a soft smile on her face and her body was relaxed. "you want me to…to kill you?" Jean nodded and Rogue continued to stare at her as if she had lost her mind. Jean let out a laugh and turned to stare at the lake once more. "I've killed people, Rogue.""That was the Phoenix, not you-"

"No, Rogue, that was me. Phoenix is me. She's as much a part of me as Sage is to you." Jean stopped, turning to look back at the young girl. "I've killed people. I've hurt families and friends. I can't control Phoenix. If you don't kill me, other people will die. I can't let anyone else get hurt."

"So you're going to end your life? You're going to give up and let her win?" Rogue asked, incredulously, staring at Jean's brown eyes. "I've been fighting her for 2 years, Rogue. She's been living in me for 28. She's had time to build up power. I'm exhausted. I can only hold her back for so long and when I am in control it's only because she let me be in control. She's won."

"There has to be another way, Jean. I didn't come here to kill you! I came here to kill the Phoenix and save you-"

"But you knew killing Phoenix would end me too. Admit it, you knew one of us was going to die." This time, Jean's voice broke. Her eyes filled and she allowed herself one sob before she composed it. "You have to kill me-"

"What about Scott? Logan?" Rogue interjected, fighting it. Jean closed her eyes, two tears sliding slowly down her face. "I know what she's going to do, Rogue. She's going to kill you all. If you don't kill me, Scott and Logan die anyway." Rogue turned away from the telepath and stared at the blue of Alkali lake. It was much easier then staring into Jean's eyes. "I can't kill you Jean, I can't even get to your body."

"You can. All you have to do is use your powers-"

"My powers are useless-"

"not those." Jean murmured, touching Rogue's arm softly. She jerked away from her. "I am not letting her control me, Jean."

"The Sage won't. She's you, just another part of you."

"You said the same thing about Phoenix. How will I know what happened to you won't happen to me?"

"Because you won't let it happen. Rogue, I understand how you're feeling right now. But, you know as well as I do that the team won't be able to kill me. They'll die before they can. Phoenix is too strong."

"We can save you. We just need to get you back to the lab-"

"And do what? Rogue, look at me." When she didn't raise her head, Jean's slim hands reached out and cupped her face. Rogue closed her eyes and allowed the Phoenix's thoughts to come into her own.

Destruction.

Death.

Revenge.

The end of mankind as they knew it.

Rogue shook her head and opened her eyes, the green pupils luminous with tears. "I can't kill you, Jean."

"then don't kill me. Kill the Phoenix." the telepath murmured, drawing Rogue into a hug. "how?" Rogue whispered, burying her face into Jean's shoulder. "You know how. Tell them…tell them I loved them. Tell Logan…and Scott." The lake began to shift, fading away. Rogue held on tighter to Jean, willing herself to bring the red-head back with her, but she disappeared with the background. Instead, the scene changed to be replaced by the hallway with multiple doors. Rogue stared at them, stared at each name stretching before her. She reached out and once again the marble door appeared, shutting her off from all of them.

_You know how_, Jean's voice murmured. She knew how…but will her fear let her? She reached out with both hands and placed them on the cool marble. She pushed, letting the bolts unlock and fall. She pushed again and the marble door began to slide open, slowly. She swallowed, and with eyes closed, stepped in.

X

She'd been out cold for more than 5 minutes. Scott knew that because he hadn't left her side since she'd fallen back. He hadn't stopped yelling her name either. She wouldn't move. She wouldn't talk. She wouldn't do anything. She was warm, telling him she was alive. But other than that…nothing. And it scared him to death. He couldn't lose her too.

"Rogue, if you can hear me, please move." he whispered, watching her. Her eyes twitched before slowly opening. He sucked in a breath. Her familiar brown eyes were dark, emerald green and her hair…was it him, or was the white brighter? The red-brown a rich mahogany? She began convulsing, her body twisting and tangling. He gripped her tightly, trying to stop the tremors, screaming her name. "Rogue! Hang on! Rogue!" he yelled over and over. Suddenly, her body jerked, flying out of his arms and quickly into the air. He watched as she flew higher and higher, bulleting up. She stopped suddenly and a bright green glow began to circle her body. It wrapped around her like a cocoon, swirling and swirling until it encased her entire body. The light glowed brighter until it flashed, blinding them all. He saw the shape of an angel glare brightly before everything stopped. Her body remained air-bound until, very slowly, she began to drop. The speed increased and eventually, she was plummeting back to earth. "Storm!" Scott found himself shouting, and winds encircled Rogue's body, slowing her descent until Scott reached out and grabbed her body, fitting it comfortably in his strong arms as he fell to his knees.

He thought his heart would stop. Her body was cold and she wasn't breathing. Her eyes were open, but they were empty shells, black as night and dim. He shook her, but she remained unresponsive. Everything around him faded, his whole world focused on the one being in his arms. His love. His life. His Everything.

"Please, come back. Please. I can't-I love you too much." He closed his eyes, cradling her head. He needed her. She was what made him…him. His smile. His laugh. His Heart. His life. "I need you to come back. Don't do this to me, Marie, please." he whispered, clutching her body, screaming the name his heart wanted to call her, willing her to move.

"Cyclops!" someone yelled, but he wouldn't move. He couldn't. He couldn't leave Rogue. "Cyclops!" This time, he knew it was Logan's voice. He turned slowly to the sight behind him. They were losing. The Phoenix was killing everyone and as hard as they fought, she was still winning. Her path was bent on destruction and no one could stop her. And it was like he didn't care. He had nothing to fight for. He stared down at Rogue. Nothing to fight for _anymore._

"Cyclops! Get moving! We have to-" Logan stopped, cut off and distracted by an explosion that had sent a large car flying. Logan was too far away to stop it's course and Scott watched with dark eyes as it came flying towards him. He turned his visor on and attempted to deflect it away from them. The red beam pushed, sending it away and Scott's heavy heart lifted a bit. Suddenly, it pushed back with a vengeance and he turned the knob on his visor, letting more of his power out. It began to move away again until, with a scream from Phoenix, it came barreling down towards them again.

So, this was the end? This was how he was going to die? Funny, how ironic it seemed. The woman he had once would've given up his life for was going to end his. He wasn't going to go down without a fight.

He threw off the visors and let his full power attack it. The car began to juggle, being forced one way by him and the other by Phoenix. He fought it for as long as he could, his energy draining as it came closer and closer towards him. He gripped the visor in his hand, his other hand wrapped around Rogue's chin, holding her cheek. He felt the end of his power before it shut off, the car careening towards their bodies. He slipped the visor back on, closed his eyes and bent over Rogue. He wasn't going to leave her. If they were going to die…it would be together.

She jerked in his arms, jerked so hard he thought she would snap, and he heard a strange sound. He waited for the pain, the agony, and when it didn't come, he opened his eyes. Turning his head, he saw the beam of green first. He saw the car, so close he could reach out and touch it, as it was slowly shoved away from then. He lifted his hand to his visor again and aided the green beam, finally being able to thrust it away from both of them. Slowly, he looked down at the body in his arms. Her eyes were open and they glowed as green as the beam had been that saved them. She smiled and blinked, the glow fading. Her pupils, moments ago a dark and dense, empty black, were now a dark green. Her ungloved hand reached up and cupped his cheek. He waited for the pain and the pull, but it never came. He reached up tentatively and placed his hand over hers, feeling her warm skin. "Rogue." he choked out her name and her smiled widened. "Scott." she whispered, and it was her. Her voice. Her smile. Her heart.

"How?" he asked, staring at her. "I am in control. She let me be." she turned her head into his chest. "I am still me." she whispered, and he knew it was probably more for herself then it was for him. She turned in his arms, going to stand on her own and he helped her, lifting her onto her feet. She reached out and touched his visors gently. She reached out both hands, placed them on the sides of his head and slowly removed his visors.

She smiled.

His eyes were close tightly and in a hoarse whisper she heard him say her name. She threw the visor on the ground, listening as the metal skidded on the sand, before she placed both of her hands on either side of his head. "Open your eyes, Scott." She whispered and wanted to laugh when she heard her named accompanied by a curse. "Trust me." She told him and she saw his eyes twitch. He opened them slowly and she felt it. She felt the power as it coursed through her body. The red beam shot out, and her eyes flashed a bright green before the red stopped suddenly. She focused, and the red drew back. She kept pressing and pushing and the red glow was minimized to nothing more then slits on Scott's pupils.

She stopped pushing and just watched him as he blinked, taking in the world of colors. No more red. She let out a laugh and threw her arms around his neck. "I told you. Blue eyes." she muttered. She lost her breath as Scott crushed his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. "I can see. I can finally see." he whispered, and she knew what he meant. She had given him control over his mutation. She buried her face in his shoulder, lost in him.

A scream brought them out of their moment. They both threw their heads to the sky as Storm went flying. Rogue threw her hand up and in her mind, threw open Jean's door. Her telepathy stopped Storm in mid-flight and lowered her gently to the ground. Rogue turned to look at Cyclops and he saw the bright green glow again. She let out a breath before saying, "I can stop Jean. Will you protect me?". He turned to look at the Phoenix, her coal black eyes on both of them, before he turned back to Rogue and nodded his head.

She smiled, and something flashed in her eyes. "I love you, Scott. Please, never forget that." he looked her confused for a moment and wondered why she would say that now. "Rogue-" he started, but stopped when an explosion hit the skies. They both turned to watch as Pyro let out a laugh, burning another ball of metal Phoenix threw into the air. She watched as Iceman froze it and flung it away, protecting himself and Kitty. "It's time to go." Rogue murmured and broke into a run, Scott right behind her.

"Well, what is this?" Toad asked, landing right in front of her. She skidded to a halt and began backing up, paying attention to the idiot's tongue. "Don't try to be a hero, hun." he muttered, licking his lips. "we both know you don't have any powers-""yeah?" she asked, her green eyes watching him intently.

"yeah." he said, his green lips turning into a smile. She closed her green eyes, not having to picture the hallway anymore to summon the powers. She just had to think of the Weather's Witch's lightening and suddenly, it was there. Her eyes opened and clouded over with a pure white. A clash reverberated through the skies and a single lightening bolt struck, sending Toad flying. She watched him fly, careening over the cliffs and hitting the water below. "I'd say that was a power." she muttered and began running once more. She saw Sabertooth a second too late, all her energy focused on saving Jean. She had time to form the curse word before a red beam flew over her shoulder, sending Sabertooth flying. Without the compromise of his visor, Scott was able to use his power fully. She thanked Sage for allowing her to give him control. For allowing her give him something.

They had almost made it to Jean before she felt him contorting the magnetic fields. She stopped again, Scott slamming into her back as Magneto lowered himself in front of her. "Now, what do we have here?" he asked, bending his head to glance over her shoulder. She pushed both of them back, away from Magneto, before she spoke. "We're here to save her." she jerked her head towards Phoenix. "Save her? Why, child, why would you want to do that? She is what's going to bring us forward! She _is_ evolution!"

"She's destruction! She can kill you! What's stopping her from slashing you apart like she's doing to us? Her _friends_!" Rogue shouted, the green glow growing. "She's bent on killing all of us! The Phoenix has no soul! She an empty pit of nothing! Once she's done with us, she'll go after you! Don't you see?"

"The only thing I see is a temperamental child who won't get out of the way." Magneto raised his hand and something came flying at her. She didn't even have to close her eyes to access Magneto's powers. The pipe shuddered, her power overwhelming his, before it dropped. She gave herself a moment to look at the pipe, revealing in the powers as it coursed through her body. She raised her hand and the helmet over Magneto's head raised. She pressed mentally and it shattered, leaving Magneto's mind vulnerable and open. His blue eyes widened and his mouth gaped open. "That's not possible…you're supposed to be powerless!" he shouted, stepping forward towards her. She stepped back, but not before she tapped into the Professor's powers. She hadn't meant to, but she had been concentrating so hard that she mentally slapped Magneto. She mentally thrust him with everything she got. All the pain, all the feelings that were coursing through her body. She felt his mind scramble, his mental stability snapping underneath the onslaught of her powers. He grabbed his head and let out a scream that sent shivers down her spine."GO!" Scott screamed, and she allowed herself one more look at the pathetic Eric before she kept moving.

She stopped one more time about 50 feet in front of Phoenix. It stared at her with cold, black eyes. She turned towards Scott, memorizing his face in case…in case she didn't make it out. "Protect me." she whispered, her hair flying at the force of Phoenix's winds. She didn't wait for an answer. She turned instead and tapped into Colossus' powers, Sage aiding her. She felt the cool metal coat her body before she plunged into the winds. "With my life." he muttered, his blue eyes watching her.


	42. Sage vs Phoenix

Could she do it? Could she kill someone she knew, even if it meant that mankind could be saved? Could she live with herself after?

The winds were deafening. She couldn't hear herself think as she ran through, trying to fight her way to Jean. The Phoenix looked at her with black eyes, her powers slapping Rogue back easily every time she made a little headway. Something came flying towards her and Rogue's eyes began to sting, the green beams shooting out as it changed the course of the large rock. Small pieces of glass hit her metal coat and she heard the tink as she kept moving.

She stumbled when Phoenix pushed her back, her green gaze faltering as she landed on her knees. Phoenix smiled, her eyes piercing straight into Rogue's soul.

_I see you have found my sister._ A dark voce vibrated through her head. She snapped her head back, surprise etched on her face. "Jean?" Rogue shouted, her red and white hair flying.

_Try Again._

"Phoenix!" She yelled and Rogue watched as the monster nodded. _You really think you can stop me? The Phoenix?_ As if to show her what she meant, Phoenix pushed with her telepathy. Rogue flipped back, reaching out to grab onto a rock so that she wouldn't fly out. "I can stop you, regardless of who you are!" Rogue screamed, struggling to her feet. She crossed her arms in front of her face, creating an X as the metal blocked her from another round of flying objects.

She felt the push of power as it came flying towards her and The Professor telepathy came flying out as she uncrossed her arms viciously. The shape of an X went flying towards The Phoenix and the black eyes widened in shock. Rogue raised her hand and felt the ice as it came out. It circled Phoenix's legs and froze her in place.

Phoenix looked up, a sneer on her face. _You can't stop me!_ it screamed and the ice began cracking. "Not yet." Rogue murmured, bending over to touch the ground. Avalanche's powers raced out from her arms in the ground, shaking it. She watched as Phoenix seemed to stumble and Rogue took her chance.

She felt he wings sprout out of her back and she took to the air, the beating of the wings more powerful than the winds Phoenix controlled. She flew over the red-head and dropped landing in front of the pale women. The black eyes widened more and Rogue smiled. _This isn't possible! You're not supposed to be able to wield hers powers! _

"Surprise!" Rogue shouted, her hands reaching forward as they wrapped around Phoenix's face.

The unhuman scream wrapped around her and flew out, Phoenix's face contorting as her control began to slip. Rogue closed her green eyes, trying to fight the red personality as it took her over. All she had to do was keep holding on and eventually, Phoenix would die, taking Jean with her. She just needed to keep holding on…

Phoenix's hands came up, clawing at Rogue's. Rogue let out a scream, her eyes opening as the green beam began to power. Just kill her, just kill her, just kill her…

_Thank you._ A small voice rang through Rogue's mind. She jerked back, her hands not letting go as she stared into the Phoenix's eyes. But…they weren't the Phoenix's eyes. They were Jean's, the brown looking at her as Jean began to smile serenely.

Rogue's eyes slammed shut as the memory pressed through her.

_She had to save them. She stared around the Jet, her heightened senses hearing the cement of the dam as it crack outside. Scott and Logan were in the front, fighting to get the Jet started. The Professor was next to them, his eyes closed as his mind worked. She saw Rogue and Bobby, the young teenagers clutching each other's hands as if their worlds depended on it. Kitty and Piotr were next to each, their heads bent as they tried to find a way out._

_She was the way out._

_She felt the power shimmering beneath her skin, the other personality telling her that she could save them all. All she had to was let her take control. Jean began to move, her mind fading as she let the other person take control. The more powerful one. Her bare hand brushed something and she felt pain twist deep in her gut. Jean looked around, wondering what she had been about to do. Her senses came back to her enough for her to turn around and begin walking back towards the front of the jet. Rogue let out a moan and shifted, breaking the contact._

_A small smile touched Jean's face as the other personality came back. She turned once more and continued walking. Her eyes changed, going from a brown to a coal black as she pressed the doors to the jet. They slid open and she stepped to out her end._

_And the Phoenix's beginning._

Rogue pulled herself out of the memory. She glanced at the redhead in her grasp and her mind began working.

She could really save Jean.

She, the Rogue, could bring Jean back. But, Rogue was pretty sure she would die in the process. Rogue was pretty sure, she'd end up killing herself.

All Rogue had to do was let go. Jean was Jean again, and Rogue now had the Phoenix inside her. All Rouge had to do was let go, and risk killing herself and the Phoenix, letting Jean live.

But, could she do it?

Could let herself die just to save Jean? Her green eyes roamed over the pale body, the person inside fading as Rogue continued touching her. Rogue's mind began fading, her green eyes closing as she felt unconscious slipping through.

Just keep holding. She repeated the phrase over and over, her hands never letting go of Jean's face. She continued holding, and holding, and holding…

A terrible screeched vibrated through the air. From the whirlwinds that circled the two bodies, a flaming bird emerged, its scream scorching through the night. Everybody raised their hands to cover their eyes as a bright light seemed to flash, a green angel appearing behind the bird.

It's arms opened up, grabbing onto the bird. They both enfolded into themselves, the green over taking the red flames as the whirlwinds stopped. Another, more softer voice, seemed to sigh as the two figures disappeared. The lone body suspended in the air began to fall and everyone rushed forward to catch it.

**2 Months Later**

Scott stared at the tombstone, reading the name over and over.

How do you say goodbye to one you love a second time?

A small hand slipped into his and he turned, his eyes first connecting with the red-brown hair before sliding down to her smiling brown eyes. She smiled, and he felt his heart lift. "Let's go." she whispered. He nodded and placed the single white rose on the tombstone, before turning away.

The wedding was the next day. It was a small ceremony, only including their closest friends. Kitty and Bobby were in the front row, their smiles splitting their faces. Warren and Kurt were joking around, Kurt laughing as Warren rolled his blue eyes. Piotr and Ororo were deep in discussion and Scott smiled when Piotr finally laughed.

Scott fidgeted again, messing with his tie. "Would you stop moving so much, bub? You're making me nervous?" Logan whispered from next to him. Scott laughed and shook his head, straightening up a bit when the wedding march began to play. The door opened and she was right there, her body clothed in traditional white. The Professor was right next to her and McCoy was right behind him, pushing the man as he walked the bride down the aisle.

Scott wondered if her brown eyes were shimmering with tears, just like they used to when she was happy. Her red-brown hair glowed in the sun as she began walking. Scott began fidgeting again and surpressed a chuckle when Logan growled. She reached the front and he reached out, grabbing her slim hand in his.

The ceremony began and Scott felt himself smiling genuinely for the first time in 2 months. A few minutes later, the priest began closing the wedding. "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, till death do you part?"

"I do." she answered, her voice like music to Scott's ears.

"Do you take this women to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have-"

"I do." Everyone chuckled as he jumped the gun. A rare blush stained his cheeks and he nodded towards the Priest to please continue. The old man smiled and nodded. "Do you take this women to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, until death do you part?" The priest finished, nodding towards the man to speak. "I do."

Everyone sighed with happiness as the priest smiled. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. Will the rings please be presented?" Logan stepped forward, grabbing the rings from Scott, his best man. "Thanks, bub." he whispered and Scott smiled, his blue eyes shining with tears.

Logan slipped the ring on the slim finger and bent to draw up her veil. He grabbed her bare hand, still not being able to believe he could touch her. That he could hold her.

He bent forward, pressing his lips lightly against hers. "I love you, Logan." she murmured, her brown eyes only for him. Logan smiled, resting his forehead lightly against hers. "I love you too, Jean.

* * *

Sorry if it seemed confusing the way i wrote it. Yes, at the end of the chapter, Rogue is dead. One of them had to die, and Rogue chose to sacrifice her own life so that Jean could live.


	43. Our Everything

**A month Later**

The pond rippled, the rock skipping perfectly on it's smooth surface as Scott winced, the sun glaring in his eyes. He brought up his hand, covering a portion of his face as he once again reminded himself to remember his sunglasses the next time he came out to the pond side. He let his hand drop as he picked up another rock, noting the color before he threw it and watched it skip across the pond's face again.

He noted every color. The blue sky, the gray pond, the brown earth and the green grass. The world was so different when it wasn't tinged in red. He yawned, his eyes squinting again as the sun's reflection glared of the moving water.

_He felt relief swamp him as they neared the body, the familiar red-brown hair shining as brightly as fire. He was the first there out of all of them, his legs taking him faster and farther then they ever had._

_He skidded to a stop, his breath coming out heavily as he fell to his knees, reaching out to roll her over. His heart faltered, and dropped, his eyes filling with tears as he stared out at the face._

_It wasn't Marie._

He shook his head as the memory faded, rubbing his large hand softly over his heart as the pain faded away too. No, it hadn't been Marie. It had been Jean, her face soft and serene, looking as if she had been sleeping moments ago instead of fighting.

Marie was never found and even right now, the tombstone stood over an empty grave.

He closed his eyes as another memory swamped him.

"_She wanted to save me." Jean murmured, clutching the white blanket as she sat up, her face nestled against the pillows. Everyone around the room stared at the redhead, their hearts heavy._

_Jean was back, but it seemed it had been at the cost of Rogue._

_They all watched as the Jean's brown eyes filled, her face crumpled as she spoke. "She wanted to save all of us." Logan stepped forward, wrapping the small body in his arms. He didn't speak, afraid his voice would break and the floodgate would open. They all stood there, each swamped in their own grief as the clock ticked away._

"_I saw her…in my mind before she let go of me. She…was smiling, her green eyes so full of life. So full of love. She told me…she told me to live. To laugh," Jean glanced up at Logan, "to love. She told me…to tell you guys that she says thank you for everything. For loving her and for accepting her." this time, Jean glanced at Scott, "for protecting her."_

He felt the cold tear slide down his face and hurriedly reached up to brush it away when he heard someone approaching. He turned, his brown eyes immediately connecting to Logan's brown gaze, then Kurt's yellow one before finally landing on Warren's lighter blue.

He waited for them to reach him, his stance relaxed as they neared. "Thought we'd find you out here." Warren joked, his smile small but easy. Scott shrugged before turning back towards the water. "How's Eric?" Scott asked, his hair moving as it rustled in the wind. "The Professor said he's making progress. The think he hasn't totally lost his mind yet. The doctors are working with him every day to regain some of his sanity." Logan said, chewing the toothpick to shreds.

Scott nodded, turning back towards the men. "How was the honeymoon?" he asked and Logan smirked. "Hawaii is as far away from Canada as you can get. Jean loved it." Scott admired the love that washed over Logan's face and smiled, his heart twisting a bit more. "What about you, Warren, how was your dad?" He asked and the blonde only winced slightly. "He was well enough to crush me into a hug before he started yelling about me avoiding my responsibilities."

"He didn't ask about the absence of your wings?" Scott asked and Warren's face softened, the smile automatic as he thought about Marie.

"_She wanted me to give you something." Jean murmured, pulling the blonde beauty aside as they began to walk out of the infirmary. Warren's eyebrows drew together, his heart so heavy he thought he wouldn't be able to stand it._

"_What?" He asked and Jean reached forward, touching his bare face._

_He jerked back, his mind flooding with images as his body filled with Rogue. He saw her smile, her green eyes impish as they began to glow. He felt his body sizzle, a burning sensation running through his veins._

_The wings in his back began shrinking, fading away as they moved inside his body. He heard Rogue laugh once more before he opened his eyes, his back lighter._

Warren shook his head, running his hand down his bare back. "He thought I learned to control them. Which, I guess I technically did…"

"Yah, now you just have to ve careful avout da holes in your shirt." Kurt joked, his blue skin fading as it formed back to it's original condition. Scott smiled, looking at the pale man in front of, his yellow eyes being the only thing that remained the same. "You happy blending in with society?" Scott asked and Kurt smiled, his eyes warm as the memory washed over him.

"_Rogue spoke a lot about you when we were 'together'." Jean murmured, staring at the blue man sitting next to her. Kurt turned, surprise etched on his face. "She did?" He asked and Jean nodded, smiling. "She said you and Warren were her only friends for a very long time. She loved you for that."_

_Kurt nodded, his yellow eyes far away. "Rogue vas someding special to us." he whispered, a single tear sliding down his cheek. Jean coughed and Kurt looked up to see her brown eyes watching him. "She also mentioned how…you always wanted to blend in…?" Kurt nodded again. "I could never go out in public. Who vanted to see a blue man?" he asked, turning away from her. He saw her reach out towards him and he turned in time to see her wrap her slim hand around his cheek._

_His mind was bombarded with images and memories of Rogue. He saw her smile, her white hair bright against the dark red. She reached out and he swore he felt the small kiss on the top of his forehead._

_His skin began tingling and he let out a gasp as it stung suddenly. He opened his yellow eyes, glancing down at his new skin. His tan skin._

"_A gift, from her to you." Jean murmured, sitting back._

Kurt smiled again, his heart seeming to sigh as he remembered her again. "Yeah, I have a lot to dank her for." Kurt murmured.

The silence that followed was filled with sounds of the trees, wind and earth around them. Scott stood, his back to the pond as his mind drifted away, his thoughts filling with her.

"Do you miss her, guys?" He asked, his voice so low he was afraid they didn't hear him. His fears were denied when Warren nodded. "Every damn day." Logan muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose to stop the tears. "Yeah, me too." Scott said, turning away from them.

There was shouting and the three men turned. Scott turned too, his eyes skimming the horizon as a figure approached. He heard Logan let out a sigh before turning back to the blue eyed man. "Jean sent us out here to call you for dinner."

Scott barely hid the wince. Kurt nodded, rubbing his hand over his stomach. "I feel your pain." Warren scoffed, reaching behind Logan to slap Kurt upside the head. "It isn't that bad if you take some antacids before hand." Logan reached up and hit them both smartly on the back of the head, shitting them up. "At least you guys can get out of it." he growled, his face hiding the fear that came whenever Jean cooked.

Scott chuckled. "I'll be in there in a couple of minutes. Save very little for me." he said, turning back towards the water. He heard shuffling as the men began to move. One stopped half turning as he spoke ove his shoulder. "Marie wouldn't want you unhappy, Scott. She'd want you smiling, just like you always did." Scott nodded, not turning as Logan began walking again.

He squinted against the glaring sun before he took a seat, his body tired. It was a few more moments later when he let out a sigh, laying back on the ground. Much like the position he had found Marie in more than a year ago.

He stared up at the blue sky, his eyes roaming for the familiar white clouds that always seemed to blanket it. He closed his eyes as he let the sounds of the land rock him to relaxation. How many times had he come here? Listening for her voice, her laugh? Wishing he could see her face just once? How many times had he talked out loud to no one, hoping someone would talk back?

He began talking, falling into the familiar rhythm quickly. "You knew that you were doing when you jumped to save Jean, didn't you? You knew you were going to die?" He listening, waiting for a voice . When the land was the only thing that answered him, he let out a sigh. "I wish I could see you, just once." he murmured. The cold autumn air nipped at him, and he vaguely remembered a memory he had with Rogue.

He chuckled, his eyes closed as he continued speaking. "Didn't you promise me you'd live to see Autumn with me? That you'd tell me the stories the tress had to say? You could've at least lived to fulfill that one."

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who said Autumn was your favorite season."

"Yeah, but you said you liked the cold." He murmured, his arm slung over his eyes. They shot open when he recognized the voice and he swung his arm away as he sat up.

And saw…nothing.

He let out a sigh, his heart hammering against his chest painfully. The voice had been so real-

Her laugh filled his senses and he scrambled to his feet. He turned, staring at the treetops, trying to find the source of the voice.

He let out a grunt when he squinted, the sun glaring brightly in his eyes. "damn sunglasses." he muttered, his head lowering as the sun continued flaring. He jumped back when something hit the floor in front of him. His blue gaze zeroed in on it and he bent to examine it more closely. He reached out, picking up the sunglasses. He turned them in his hand as he began to stand up, not recognizing the pair.

Surprise reverberated through his body when he did finally recognize it. He hadn't seen it in over a year because…

Because it had been the pair he'd given Rogue so long ago.

He slipped them on, glancing around as the familiar world of red came back. He watched as it faded and the sunglasses changed, giving him back the world of color. He shook his head, amazed at the power he felt beneath the lenses. The glare of the sun was blocked and he turned back towards the tops of the trees, looking for the source of the voice.

She sat there, her green eyes so full of love as she smiled. Her red-brown hair was longer and brighter, the white a stunning contrast against her dark green suit. She laughed when she saw that he had finally found her and smirked as she spoke. "Hello, Scott." She said and her voice hit straight to his heart. To his soul. "Didn't I tell you the trees had stories to tell?" she asked and he smiled as he reached for her.

His World.

His Life.

His Love.

His Marie.


	44. Special Preview: On Angel's Wings

So, i decided to just start both couples :D

Next is an excerpt of my new story, called "On Angel's Wings" a Rogue/Warren fanfic. The other fanfic, "Both Sides of Time" will be a Raye/Jadiete fanfic (sailor Moon)

enjoy! :D

"The x-men must race to save their future as Apocalypse arises. The cure had ended up mutating Rogue's powers, not curing them like she originally thought. Now, instead of not being able to touch, if Rogue even gets near another person, her powers will take effect. The only person even able to get close to her is the handsome yet infuriating Warren Worthington, or Angel as they call him. As much as they dislike each other, both of them can't deny the feelings growing between them, or the fact that they both might need each other to stop Apocalypse. Can they learn to love in time to save the world? "

* * *

"You can't always think your powers are going to save the day, you jerk!" she yelled, her hand fisting at her side. Warren scoffed. "My powers are exactly what saved your ass today!" his blue eyes flashed, his wings vibrating with fury as he stared at Rogue.

"You're powers are what put us in trouble in the first place!" She shouted back, stepping forward as she came dangerously close to him. His blue eyes clashed with her light brown ones, and he stepped closer too, close enough to see the flecks of gold that surrounded her irises.

"Fine, next time I want to stop Apocalypse, I just won't call for you guys to help me!" he shouted and watched as she let out an infuriating half-scream. "I didn't say that! I just meant that you can't jump into a situation head first and expect to come out of it alive with just one power against millions! Apocalypse is someone not to be messed with, and you just threw caution out the window-"

"I saved all of you!"

"You could've died!" she shouted, and he saw something flash in her brown eyes. His anger ebbed, his blue eyes widening as realization dawned on him. He didn't even think of what he was doing as he reached for her. All he thought about was the pain and the worry that had crossed the brown depths. And the twists he had felt in his own gut.

His hand wrapped behind her head, his fingers weaving into her hair as he pulled her forward, crushing his lips to hers.


	45. Special Preview: A Rogue's Wish

So, I guess everyone really liked "A Rogue's Curse" and many keep asking me if there was going to be a sequel. After much thought (and a couple of sleepless nights (eh, not really...)) I'd like to present you to, "A Rogue's Wish", the sequel. the sequel is still a bit in transit, but as of right now, it's official. Plus, this isn't going to be the only sequel. I decided to make this a trilogy only because Scouge has always been my favorite couple, and I can't seem to finish writing about them (made evident by some of my recent stories.) So, the third installment is still in the "production phase" but I'd like to introduce you to the first chapter of "A Rogue's Wish."

I own nothing from X-men and all it's entities. I don't own the characters or the production. I am only a HUGE fan! This is a sequel to "A Rogue's Curse" [if you haven't read it, check it out! Lol]

Happily ever after for Scott and Rogue must wait, considering the manic-mutant MJ was still on the loose and Jean has no clue the extent to which she 'turned' the young mutant . With Rogue being able to control her powers, is it any wonder that all she wants is alone time with the man she loves? But, when a mutant named Emma Frost comes back into the picture, it complicates matters for the new couple. Emma can't get over Scott, and she has no problem trying to shove Rogue out of the picture. So, what happens when Rogue's location, and powers, are revealed to a government that has absolutely no interest in 'helping' her but only in using her?

**A Rogue's Wish**

She swirled the gold band around her finger, still not being able to accept that she was going to get married to Scott Summers.

Leader of the X-men.

Love of her life.

Her everything.

She glanced up when she heard shouting, smiling as Warren and Kurt came rushing over to her. She stood, laughing when Kurt didn't gauge his distance well and came barreling into her, wrapping his arms around her in a large hug as they both toppled to the ground.

"Kurt, Scott said _gently_ welcome her back." Warren's voice came out exasperated, but held no real conviction as he smiled down at them.

"Scott has veen keeping her hidden for two veeks! Kill me for veing just a little excited to see her!" Kurt shouted jovially as he wrapped a hand around hers, pulling her up as he struggled to his feet.

"You're right. Two weeks is too long." Warren said thoughtfully, letting out a shout as he closed the the rest of the distance in a run.

They both laughed harder when Warren tackled both of them, slamming all three of them back into the ground in a fit of shouts and screams.

A couple of curses, and hugs, later, they found themselves sitting in front of the lake, Kurt still trying unsuccessfully to skip a rock across the surface.

"So, what happened?" Warren finally asked, not being able to take his eyes off of the young girl. She smirked, turning her green gaze on him as she shrugged.

"Truthfully? It still beats me."

"Vhat do you mean?"

She turned to look up at Kurt as he threw another rock. "I don't know exactly what happened to me either. It's still a bit of a blurry mess. All I remember is letting go of Jean and than this blinding green light. After a while, I woke up on the side of this very pond."

"You don't remember anything?" Warren asked and Rogue shook her head in response. "It took me a moment to understand that I was alive. I mean, think about it. I should be dead."

Warren reached out to wrap a hand into hers. "We don't want to think about it." He said softly, blue eyes never leaving her face as his became glassy with tears. She grinned, punching him lightly on the shoulder with her free hands. "I'm here, aren't I, Warren? Stop thinking I am going to disappear underneath your nose." She reached out and ruffled his hair slightly, pulling her hand out of his as she stood up.

"So, how long has it been?"

"Two veeks." Kurt said, giving up as he turned to look at her, dropping the rest of the stones onto the ground. She rolled her eyes. "No, how long did you guys think I was…dead for?"

"Oh, avout 2 months."

Rogue nodded, looking around her as she placed her hands on her hips. "Scott filled me in on some of it. Although, i really can't believe some of it myself."

She turned to look at the too, eyes narrowed in thought.

"Did Logan and Jean really get married?"

Both men nodded.

"Bobby and Kitty broke up?"

Both men nodded.

"Oro and Hank?"

"Rumored." Warren answered quickly before Kurt could neither shake or nod his head.

"Jean is…alright though, right?" Rogue asked both of them and felt the moment of hesitation. "What?" she asked.

Warren let out a sigh.

"Jean is kinda…normal right now."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"No, like, Jean is _normal._ Jean doesn't have her powers anymore."

X

That, she mused, was life.

Kurt and Warren left, leaving her alone with her thoughts outsde. Logan had called another danger room session, and because no one thought she was ready for one of those yet, Kurt and Warren threatened to come and get her later if she hadn't come back inside by then.

She didn't know if she could live with the guilt for long, though.

She had lied to them.

She remembered exactly what happened after she died.

Because, she really had died.

She remembered Sage, the green angel that seemed to smile softly all the time. She remembered the pain of dying, and the joy of being reborn. She remembered the promise she made in exchange for her new life.

And , she wondered now if she could keep the promise.

The cold autumn air blew softly, shifting her white strands in front of her eyes as she remained standing in front of the pond.

"You're going to catch your death of cold out here." she heard a deep voice whisper behind her. She smiled.

"It's the first time I've been outside in 2 weeks. I am milking this for all it's worth."

A strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist through her arms, and she leaned back as she rested her entire body along his. She placed her hands on top of his, feeling his gold band underneath her hands as his lips pressed gently against the side of her neck.

She let out a tiny laugh. "Oh, Warren! You know that spot tickles me!" she joked. She laughed harder when she felt Scott bite the tip of her ear softly. "Warren, huh?" Scott asked, swaying them both as she closed her eyes, lulled to relaxation.

"You didn't tell me about Jean."

She heard him let out a sigh.

"I didn't tell you about Jean because I knew you'd do exactly what you're doing right now."

"And what is that?"

"You'd worry. Considering everything you've been through, I didn't want you to worry about something as juvenile as this."

She tsked tsked him.

"Jean losing her powers isn't juvenile, Scott. Jean losing her powers is kinda a big deal."

He remained silent, sliding his fingers through hers. "Rogue, please…"

"Fine, but this conversation isn't over."

"I don't doubt it." Scott retorted, laughing as he spun her around to face him. "I don't doubt it." he repeated, bending to touch his lips softly to hers.

X

She'd never get used to it.

Used to touching. But, she saw it as more of a blessing than a curse. She'd never wanted to take anything for granted again.

Although…

She stood in front of the mirror, staring at her green eyes. "I couldn't even keep my regular eyes?" she asked aloud. She wouldn't get used to the subtle changes either. The whiter strands, redder hair, greener eyes…

Heightened power.

She shrugged, backing away from the mirror as she tied her hair back.

There was a lot to get used to.

Two months she'd been dead, and everything had seemed to change in those two months. Sure, she figured that Logan and Jean would get together, but marriage definitely wasn't what she had in mind.

And Bobby and Kitty? She wondered if Bobby had found out that Kitty was holding some feelings for Warren. Maybe that was the reason behind the break-up.

She didn't even want to consider Ororo and Hank. She wouldn't, couldn't, wrap her mind around them.

She let out a sigh as she opened the door of her room, making her way down to dinner. It was odd, she'd never thought she'd be nervous to eat dinner with everyone again. In the two weeks since she'd been found, she'd only had contact with Hank, Charles and Scott. Hank because he was her doctor, Scott because he was the one who had found her, and Charles because…well, you couldn't keep anything from him, no matter how hard you try.

She didn't know the reception she was going to have. Especially since her dying hadn't been part of the original plan. Would they all be angry with her for deviating from the original plan, or would they be angry with her for not saying anything? God, she didn't even know if they wanted her back. Sure, Kurt and Warren were a given, but what about all the other kids in the mansion?

How do you explain coming back to life from the dead?She squared her shoulder, letting out a breath as she prepared herself.

After a moment of standing in front of the door like an idiot, alone, she chided herself and without giving her enough time to back out, she pushed open the door.

She'd been wrong.

She knew that the moment Kitty ran and tackled her, the small body doing nothing more than make Rogue move back a couple of steps.

Rogue smiled softly as she began to cry, the entire room looking at her with such loving expressions in their eyes. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around the small body as the first tear rolled down her right cheek. She'd missed this, but she wondered how they would feel if they knew.

If only they knew what she gave up to be with all of them.

Maybe then, they would hate her.

* * *

And, here it is! :D I wanna say i am going to be updating this story a lot, but many of you who have been following me on my other stories know my dilemna. I can't wait to write this story though, and i hope you guys are as excited as me. XD

R&R


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